


Twisted Fates

by best_ghost



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, F/M, Role Reversal, i conform to the hiddentruths dlc and if you dont know it you may be confused, i would advise being familiar with the hidden truths dlc if you are not already
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-14 06:17:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/best_ghost/pseuds/best_ghost
Summary: au where Jakob's parents never sent him away to be a butler for the Nohrian royal family and where, instead of taking corrin in as a child when they kidnapped her, Garon sent Corrin away to serve Jakob's family as a maid. also, In this au, she kept her memories instead of losing them.it starts off when the two are children, but over the years, Jakob and Corrin fall in love, but their relationship is opposed by many, including Jakob's parents. As the two fall in love, they make plans to run away together, but can they make good on those plans, or does fate have other twists in store for these two star-crossed lovers





	1. Prologue

Kilma was just getting ready to go to sleep when a knock came at the door. “At this hour?” Kilma grumbled, looking at the clock, which read 12:03 a.m., as he got out of bed and put his robe on. He had had a long day and wanted to sleep, but as chief of the ice tribe, he had to see what was needed of him. Whoever was at the door kept knocking, right up until he opened the door.  
And imagine his surprise to find his twin daughters standing on his threshold, one holding a small child who was barely awake, accompanied by another young woman, her long hair tied into a braid.  
“Girls! Come in, and out of the cold! I’ll have beds and tea prepared,” Kilma said in shock as he gestured the girls inside.  
“Thank you, Father,” Flora said.  
“If you could hurry, Father, that would be wonderful. Dwyer is so very tired,” Felicia said, nodding to the young boy on her hip.  
“I understand,” Kilma nodded, and he sent for beds and tea to be made.  
Felicia went and put the boy to sleep, and when she returned she found Flora and Lilith, the young woman who had accompanied them, seated in the most comfortable chairs in the house while Kilma prepared tea.  
“So, the young boy, Dwyer, unless I’m mistaken, is he yours?” Kilma asked as he handed Felicia a cup of tea.  
“If only he were, then maybe we’d have brought him here under happier circumstances,” Flora sighed, much to Kilma’s relief.  
“So if he’s not yours, then why bring him here?” Kilma asked, sitting down.  
“His mother asked us to bring him somewhere safe and to raise him,” Felicia mumbled.  
“And the parents? Why can they not raise him?” Kilma asked tentatively.  
“Dead, both of them,” Lilith sniffed.  
“Oh… that’s unfortunate. And I assume you knew them well?” Kilma leaned back in his seat. “How close were you with them?”  
“They were… like family,” Flora whispered as Lilith broke down into tears.

*Two Weeks Later*  
“Aunt Felicia? Where’s mother?” Dwyer asked as Felicia helped to bundle him up.  
“Oh… honey… she’s… with your father,” Felicia looked at the three year old, trying to hold her tears back.  
“My… father? And where is he? Are they on their way?” Dwyer asked in confusion. He didn’t know much about his father, Mother never talked about him on her own, and when Dwyer asked about him, Mother became very sad. But she had always seemed happiest when thinking about him.  
“No… sweetie, they’re not on their way,” Felicia tried to blink away her tears as she smiled sadly at her friend’s son  
“Well, where are they?” Dwyer tilted his head.  
Felicia just smiled and shook her head.

*Three Years Later*  
“Dwyer? What did I tell you?” Flora asked sternly from Dwyer’s door as she glared down at the young boy who was already in bed.  
“To go to bed?” Dwyer asked.  
“To go GET READY for bed. You haven’t even put pajamas on, let alone bathed, or brushed your teeth,” Flora crossed her arms.  
“Bathe?! But I’m so tired,” Dwyer begged.  
“Fine, but you still have to change and brush your teeth,” Flora smiled slightly.  
“Ugh, fine,” Dwyer rolled his eyes as he trudged back out of bed and into the washroom, where put on his pajamas and brushed his teeth. “There, happy?” Dwyer asked as he walked back to his bed, which he promptly crawled into.  
“Yes, very,” Flora nodded as she walked up to tuck Dwyer into bed.  
“Can you tell me about them?” Dwyer asked suddenly.  
“What?” Flora looked at Dwyer in shock.  
“Can you tell me about them? My parents?” Dwyer asked again. “I just… don’t have many memories of mother, and I know nothing of my father…”  
“Yes, of course, dear,” Flora patted Dwyer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Corrin meets Felicia and Flora. Meanwhile, young lord Jakob is dragged out of bed and to a meeting with his parents and with the king and his sons. King Garon introduces Jakob and his family to a group of servants who will be working for Jakob's family for some time, including Corrin and Flora and Felicia, who are about Jakob's age. (they're 8 years old at the time)

*Some Years Ago*  
“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay,” Felicia walked over to the young girl, who was about Felicia’s age, maybe 8 or 9, who sat in her corner, sobbing. Or, well, Felicia tried to walk over to the young girl, but the chains that connected her manacles to the floor of the cart.  
“Yo- you think?” the young girl sniffed as she looked up, her red eyes shimmering as they continued to fill up with tears.  
“I… well, I don’t know,” Felicia looked away from the girl.  
“… Corrin,” the young girl’s voice cracked.  
“What?” Felicia asked.  
“I’m Corrin,” Corrin tried to smile, though her tears continued to fall.  
“I- I’m Felicia, and that’s my sister, Flora,” Felicia smiled and nodded across the cart to where her sister was sitting, perfectly calm despite the circumstances.  
“What… what do you thing is going to happen to us?” Corrin tilted her head.  
“Well, I imagine they’ll make us their servants,” Flora sighed.  
“Their servants?!” Corrin’s face paled. “Oh, I’ll be dead within the week for sure…”  
“You’ll be- what?” Flora squinted in confusion at the young girl, who had drawn further back into her corner and continued whimpering.  
“I’ve never really… worked before. And I’ll do such a bad job, that they’ll kill me,” Corrin whimpered.  
“Don’t be ridiculous, they wouldn’t kill you for being a bad maid,” Flora shook her head.  
“They… wouldn’t? But I’ve heard so many tales of Nohrian cruelty?” Corrin looked up in shock.  
“Most of them are just that, tales. And they wouldn’t kill you, but they may beat you or lock you up for some time,” Felicia tried to console Corrin, who managed to go even whiter.  
“Be-beat you?” Corrin sniffed.  
“But I imagine they won’t,” Flora gave her sister a stern glare.  
The cart filled with light as someone opened the doors. The group squinted out, and saw several figures standing about.

*Four Hours Earlier*  
“Young Master Jakob, it’s time you wake up now,” a voice cut through the silence as light filled the pitch black with pink.  
“Ugh, whyyyy?” Jakob moaned groggily from his bed, his eyes still closed as tight as he could manage.  
“Because, it’s eight in the morning,” the maid who came to wake Jakob up said sternly.  
“But that’s so EARLY,” Jakob turned over, burying his face in pillows.  
“Yes, yes, I know, but it’s the same time you wake up every morning,” the maid attempted to pull the pillow off of an 8 year old Jakob’s face.  
“Can’t I just sleep in, just this once?” Jakob glared at the nurse.  
“Well, if this were any other day, I’d consider, but today your parents have a very important lunch meeting. With the King, of all people! He’ll be bringing his sons along, and I believe one of them’s about your age, maybe a little younger…” the maid rambled as she dragged her young charge out of bed.  
“So?” Jakob asked as he allowed himself to be pulled forward.  
“So, it’s the King! The royal family! Do you know what the King would do if you were late?” the maid was aghast.  
“What?” Jakob stared flatly at the maid.  
“Well, truth be told, I don’t know for certain myself, but I do know it wouldn’t be pretty,” the maid put her hands on her hips.  
“Fine,” Jakob rolled his eyes and got dressed. “But isn’t lunch for another… four hours?”  
“Which will give us plenty of time to practice being polite and making conversation,” the maid huffed.  
“How… irksome,” Jakob grimaced.

*several hours later*  
“Hello, King Garon, and hello, milords Xander and Leo. Your trip here was well, I presume?” Jakob’s mother greeted the three royals.  
“It was well enough, thank you,” Garon grunted dismissively.  
“And did you see any animals on the way down?” Jakob’s mother smiled at the young Prince Leo as she bent down to see him.  
“None too remarkable,” Leo sighed as he brushed past the woman.  
“Oh! I… see,” Jakob’s mother grimaced.  
“But Leo, didn’t you see those geese?” Xander asked his younger brother with a scolding tone.  
“So what if I did?” Leo asked.  
“Then you should be a polite guest and tell her about them,” Xander folded his arms.  
“You’re not my boss,” Leo rolled his eyes at his big brother.  
“I am so sorry about my idiot little brother,” Xander turned to his host.  
“Oh no, it’s quite alright,” Jakob’s mother smiled. “Jakob is just the same. Well, please, this way,” she gestured the royals into the dining room, where her husband and son were already seated.  
“Is your collar supposed to be inside out?” Jakob asked Leo as the young prince took his seat.  
“Tch? What! The… the insolence! And you! Why didn’t you say anything, Xander?” Leo growled at Jakob.  
“So it’s *not* some sort of bold, new fashion choice. Got it,” Jakob looked down at his lap as his mother scolded him.  
“As Crown Prince, there are so few joys I’m actually allowed to have. This is one of them,” Xander chuckled as he put his napkin in his seat.  
The meal dragged on, and polite small talk was made- although Leo did try to avoid speaking Jakob any further, and when he did speak to Jakob, he was not very polite. But that did not matter much, because Jakob tuned out of most of the conversations.  
“So, erm, my King,” Jakob’s father cleared his throat after dessert.  
“Yes?” Garon grunted.  
“You had something you wanted to speak to us about? Well, lunch is almost over, and you’ve left us wondering what the purpose of this meeting could be…” Jakob’s father tugged at his collar.  
“Ah, yes, that’s right. You see, I have some prisoners, and I’d like it if you could take them as your servants,” Garon nodded.  
“Well, technically, they’d still be Father’s servants, but there’s one that we cannot keep in our castle, and the others would stay with her to keep things less conspicuous,” Xander explained.  
“Ah, I see. Well, shall we meet them?” Jakob’s father nodded nervously.  
“Yes, they’re in the cart out back,” Garon grunted as he stood up.  
The other five followed the king out the back, and he stood in front of a roofed cart that was barred from the outside. It did not have many windows, but there were some holes.  
Garon nodded and a servant threw off the bar, opening the door, to reveal a small group of people, several of whom couldn’t be much older than Jakob, and all of whom were chained to the floor of the cart.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin gets in trouble, and Jakob attempts to defend her and cheer her up. (theyre both still 8 at the time)

*several days later*  
Jakob followed his parents, who were discussing some matter or another, through the halls of his family’s mansion. He sighed as he mindlessly glanced out the window, waiting for his parents to finish their discussion so he could talk to them about what he needed to talk to them about. ‘what a waste of my time…’ Jakob thought to himself.  
CRASH! Jakob and his parents turned around in shock. Two of the new young maids, the one with a pink pony tail and the one with the pointy ears, were in a heap on the floor. The one with the pointy ears was on top of the other, and it seemed she- Corrin, Jakob thought her name was- had been on the other one’s- Felicia’s- shoulder, trying to clean the window. In their fall, the two had managed to break a vase and the table it was sitting on.  
“HH! You need to be more careful! That vase and table was expensive!” Jakob’s father reprimanded the girls.  
“Yes, sir,” Corrin nodded, eyes filling with tears. “Sorry, sir. It was an accident!”  
“Making excuses? Fine then, no dinner for the two of you,” Jakob’s father turned dismissively.  
“But sir-“ Corrin exclaimed.  
“You insist on still arguing? Fine, then, you can stay the night in the dungeons,” Jakob’s father glared at the little girl. “In fact, the guards will accompany you there right now,” he gestured towards the guards while the little girl burst into tears.  
“But, Father, it was an accident!” Jakob said in shock.  
“Yes, well, accidents may happen, but they still must be punished. We can’t have servants using ‘it was an accident’ as an excuse for incompetence, and if they go unpunished they’ll never learn,” Jakob’s father waved a dismissive hand.  
“But, Father, she isn’t much older than me! You’re being too harsh! Father, you can’t do this, it’s not just,” Jakob tugged on his father’s sleeve.  
“Just?! What do you know of justice?” Jakob’s father looked down on the little boy.  
“A hell of a lot more than you, it would seem,” Jakob glared.  
“You’d dare talk to your father that way? Very well, if you insist on defending the girl, you can join her for the night,” Jakob’s father turned his glare on his son.  
“Fine, then, I will,” Jakob promptly marched over to Corrin. “I’m not even 10, and I’m already twice the man you’ll ever be,” Jakob mumbled as the guards awkwardly escorted the young lord and maid to the mansion’s dungeons.  
“Tha-“ Corrin started.  
“No talking,” A guard cut Corrin off.  
Corrin squealed as a guard ushered her and Jakob into a cell. The guard sat Jakob down on one bench, and he looked apologetically at his young master Jakob while he locked on the shackles that were tied to the floor in front of Jakob’s bench. The guard adjusted Jakob’s chains so he would have enough room to move around a little bit, if he wanted. Then, he shoved Corrin down onto the bench across from Jakob, and tightly secured her manacles. He scowled as he adjusted her chains so she barely had enough room to lay down.  
“Wait, aren’t you going to give her some room? Hey!” Jakob yelled after the guard.  
The guard just walked away as the little girl began to sob.  
“Th- thank you,” Corrin sniffed as she looked up at Jakob.  
“What for?” Jakob grimaced as he sat back.  
“You stood up for me,” Corrin huffed. “That was brave.”  
“No. I merely confronted my father’s cowardice,” Jakob set his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands.  
“Well, I think that took bravery. But, why would you do it?” Corrin peered at the young noble in curiosity. She had heard such awful things about Nohr growing up, and the thought that any Nohrian, let alone a noble, could posses such traits as bravery… well, the thought would have made her big sister laugh.  
“It wasn’t just,” Jakob snapped. “What more reason do I need?”  
“There is no justice in Nohr,” Corrin nodded. “At least, that’s what Hinoka and Ryoma always said…”  
“Hinoka… and Ryoma? Like the High Prince of Hoshido and his younger sister?” Jakob looked incredulously at the young girl, who just bit her lip and nodded. “When could you possibly have been having a casual conversation with the Hoshidan royals?”  
“Well, why shouldn’t I? They are my big siblings, after all,” Corrin looked at Jakob with such innocence.  
“Lying, are you? Hmph, and here I was thinking you were worth being thrown into the dungeons for,” Jakob lay back on his bench.  
“I am! I mean, I’m not lying, and I am worth the trouble,” Corrin began to sob.  
“Please, don’t cry. It’ll only make tonight harder than it needs to be,” Jakob sighed.  
“I- I’m sorry, I can’t help it… I just…. You wouldn’t believe the week I’ve had,” Corrin huffed in between sobs.  
“Well, mine’s not so full of sunshine and rainbows myself, so if you’d mind kindly keeping your crying to yourself,” Jakob glanced over at Corrin.  
“I-I’ll try…” Corrin sniffed, but try as she might, she could not stop crying.  
Jakob stared up at the ceiling, trying to ignore Corrin’s sobs. Hours passed, and still Corrin continued to cry.  
“… tomorrow, would you like to accompany me in the garden,” Jakob sighed in a begrudging attempt to get the young girl to stop crying.  
“I… yes, milord,” Corrin looked up, a smile lighting her eyes, “I would like that very much!”  
“If you can stop crying, I’ll take you out to play,” Jakob huffed. “But you HAVE to stop crying now, okay?”  
“Yes, milord! Thank you! Are your gardens beautiful? We had the most beautiful gardens back in Hoshido! They had so many trees and plants and colors, they smelled so wonderful! I think you’d like them!” Corrin giggled.  
“Doubtful,” Jakob closed his eyes, trying to imagine he was anywhere else.  
“Doubtful… what? That you’d like them? Why?” Corrin furrowed her eyebrows at the young Jakob, who sat across from her.  
“I don’t find bright colors very enjoyable,” Jakob sighed.  
“Oh, well, I guess that makes sense. You are Nohrian, after all,” Corrin nodded.  
“What does that mean?” Jakob’s eyes snapped open.  
“Well… Nohr doesn’t seem to believe in bright colors. Everything’s all dark and gloomy over here! No wonder you wouldn’t enjoy happy things,” Corrin chirped.  
“Whatever…” Jakob turned over, hoping to find some sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the next morning, an 8 year old Corrin gossips with Flora and Felicia

*The next morning*   
The guard arrived early the next morning, accompanied by Jakob’s father and the Servants’ Manager.  
“Jakob,” Jakob’s father looked down at his son skeptically.  
“Father,” Jakob grunted, looking away from his father.  
“I trust the both of you have thought about what you’ve done,” Jakob’s father glared at the two children.  
“Yes, sir,” Jakob said, before Corrin could say anything else.  
“Come along, Corrin,” The Servants’ Manager gestured towards Corrin.  
“But-“ Corrin looked to Jakob pleadingly, face seeming to say ‘what about the gardens?’  
“Go, I’ll come back later,” Jakob shoed Corrin away.  
Corrin nodded and followed the Servants’ Manager down a side hallway, set aside and away from the eyes of any noble exclusively for the servants. The hallway led to the kitchen, where some maids were scrubbing dishes. The Manager handed Corrin a towel and motioned for her to get to work.  
“Well? Is it true?” Felicia asked excitedly, sidling up to Corrin.  
“Is what true? And what am I supposed to do with this again?” Corrin looked down at her towel.  
“Um… you use that to wash the dishes, like this,” Felicia showed Corrin how to stroke the dish, back and forth, back and forth. “And is it true that Lord Jakob went to the dungeons with you?”  
“Felicia… you were there?” Corrin looked up from her plate and soapy water. ‘Could this girl honestly have forgotten yesterday?’  
“No, I mean, WITH you. They didn’t send him off when you got there? Nothing like that?” Felicia giggled.  
“Oh… nothing like that,” Corrin turned back to her work.  
“Did he cry for his mother the whole night? I bet he did,” Felicia nodded as she changed dishes, somehow managing to be even more bubbly than the soap.  
“Er… no,” Corrin grimaced, thinking back on last night. ‘he might not have, but I certainly did…’  
“Really… well, that’s not interesting…” Felicia sighed.  
“It’s not SUPPOSED to be interesting, Felicia,” Flora sighed from the other side of Corrin. “Oh! Corrin, before I forget, I smuggled you out some food,” Flora reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a piece of bread.  
“Thank you, Flora, I’m STARVING,” Corrin grabbed the bread, letting her rag and dish fall into the sink.  
“So?” Felicia asked, eyes alight.  
“So, what?” Corrin asked, looking up from her bread.  
“Why’d he do it?” Felicia asked.  
“He thought he was being noble, but he just complained about his *big sacrifice* the whole night,” Corrin sighed.  
“Mhm, well he lost the right to complain the moment he chose to stand up for you,” Felicia nodded.  
“But… he wasn’t the slightest bit respectful of how you were feeling? What a pig!” Flora huffed in agreement.  
“Well… he did make an interesting offer when I was crying. I think it was to try to cheer me up, but…” Corrin sighed as she went looking for another rag.  
“What kind of offer?” Felicia asked, her interests newly piqued.  
“He offered to take me out in the gardens today,” Corrin found a new rag.  
“The gardens? Oh, that’s adorable,” Felicia giggled in delight.  
“What is?” Corrin asked as she returned to the sink.  
“He li-ikes you,” Felicia laughed as she tickled Corrin.  
“I- no he doesn’t!” Corrin turned pink and almost dropped her towel in the sink again.  
“Evidence suggests otherwise, and it also suggests that you like him,” Felicia wiggled her eyebrows at Corrin as she turned back to her work.  
“You didn’t see the way he was last night,” Corrin shook her head. “He was… rather rude, if I’m being honest.”  
“But then, you’re not very honest, are you?” an unfamiliar voice huffed from behind the girls.  
“What’s *that* supposed to mean?” Corrin indignantly turned around to face the newcomer.  
“Well, you told quite the tall tale last night,” Jakob crossed his arms.  
“Oh? Do tell,” Felicia looked up at her young lord.  
“Oh, I’d rather not. I, unlike some people, have enough dignity not to shatter others’ dignity,” Jakob huffed.  
“You’re EIGHT! You have the dignity of paper bag!” Corrin squinted at Jakob. “And how did I ‘shatter your dignity?’”  
“Oh… he was referring to you spilling the tea about his little crush,” Felicia giggled.  
“I walked into this conversation with the dignity a castle, but I most certainly am leaving with the dignity of a paper bag, as you put it, because of you,” Jakob sighed. “I just came in to get some food and see if you were available to go to the gardens, but it would seem you’re not, so off I go,” Jakob huffed as he stomped away.  
“Well, you know technically, you can order me out into the gardens,” Corrin crossed her arms at the young noble.  
“…Very well. Corrin, you are to accompany me to the gardens,” Jakob sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an 8 year old Lord Jakob and an 8 year old Corrin go to the garden. Corrin makes Jakob play hide and seek with her, but when it's Jakob's turn to search for Corrin, he ends up finding another little girl, injured in the bushes.

Lilith continued running, running, always running from King Anankos. ‘Corrin… find Corrin…’ she thought to herself as she huffed and puffed.  
‘I think I must be close…’ Lilith huffed as she ran through a few bushes, earning herself a few more scrapes. She risked a furtive glance behind, and thankfully she didn’t see any of the invisible troops of Valla.  
But then she didn’t see the ledge in front of her either.

 

“So? What are we going to play?” Corrin looked excitedly at Jakob as the two walked out into the gardens.  
“Can we not just walk?” Jakob looked at the girl at his side. She was cute, now that her face was not stained with tears.  
“Well, I suppose, but that’s no fun! Back in Hoshido, I used to play in the gardens all the time,” Corrin gave Jakob her best puppy dog eyes.  
“You should really stop telling people that,” Jakob sighed, looking at the trees, and away from Corrin.  
“What? That I’m from Hoshido? But it’s the truth?” Corrin furrowed her brow in confusion at Jakob.  
“Well, it’s just not very believable,” Jakob huffed. ‘this girl! How stupid can she be?’  
“Tell ya what, I’ll stop talking about it if you play hide and seek with me!” Corrin smiled with a youthful, innocent playfulness.  
Jakob blinked in shock. “You- you want to bargain… a game of hide and seek for… extending people the courtesy of not telling people about your little fantasy that you’re a Hoshidan princess?”  
“It’s not a fantasy, I’m telling the truth! But if it makes you so uncomfortable, if you play hide and seek with me, I’ll stop bringing it up. I’ll even let you hide first!” Corrin nodded with a giant smile plastered across her face.  
“…Deal,” Jakob said.  
Corrin leaned against a tree, closed her eyes, and began to count. Jakob sighed, knowing he’d have to go and hide himself, and for a second he seriously considered standing behind the tree she was leaning on. But he didn’t see her liking that very much, so he went and found a nice large rock to hide behind.  
“Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred! Here I come!” Corrin yelled out into the gardens as she began to walk along one path.  
Jakob winced from behind his rock. ‘please don’t yell…’ he thought.  
There was a noise deeper in the garden, and Corrin stopped dead in her tracks as she tried to listen for whatever it could be. As she quieted down, she heard quiet breaths coming from behind a nearby rock.  
“I found you!” Corrin exclaimed as she jumped behind the rock, a mischievous smile burning her eyes. “Now, you have to find me!”  
“Very well…” Jakob sighed as he closed his eyes and began to count, Corrin running away. When he was done counting, Corrin was no where nearby. “Of course she wouldn’t pick an easy spot,” Jakob sighed as we walked further into the garden.  
He continued searching, under trees and behind rocks and in little nooks in the garden walls, but, much to Corrin’s well-concealed glee, he couldn’t find her.  
But he did manage to find a foot.  
“…Corrin? Is that you?” He asked as he inspected the foot.  
“H! No… that’s not… grh…” a young voice grunted. “Can… you help… me?”  
“Wait, what’s going on?” Corrin shouted from her hiding spot in the trees.  
“Wait, that’s where you are?! Tree tops should be off limits,” Jakob sighed.  
“Well, they’re not! Now, what’s going on down there?” Corrin called down from her tree.  
“There’s a girl here… she looks younger than us, and she seems to be injured,” Jakob looked up at Corrin.  
“Oh no! We need to get help!” Corrin jumped down.  
“I don’t disagree, but we can’t go to the mansion for help,” Jakob sighed.  
“Why not?” Corrin asked.  
“They’d never help her. Hell, they’d probably lock her up for trespassing,” Jakob grunted, looking at Corrin.  
“You know what? They showed me where the medical supplies are! I’ll go get some of those,” Corrin nodded.  
“Be careful, they could accuse you of theft,” Jakob called after her.  
“Not if I’m retrieving them on your orders,” Corrin yelled back as she ran back to the mansion. She ran through the halls until she found the one closet she was looking for. She was looking through it for bandages and Mend Staffs when Felicia and Flora walked up.  
“So? How’d it go?” Flora asked.  
“oh… um… fine,” Corrin nodded nervously.  
“I was expecting him to keep you for longer, like a gentleman,” Felicia pouted. “If you need me to talk to him, I will.”  
“That won’t be necessary, Felicia. And our walk is by no means over yet,” Corrin tried to hide the medical supplies.  
“Then what are you doing back here?” Flora asked Corrin.  
“Just looking for some cough drops!” Corrin said, trying to make up an excuse.  
“Uhuh,” Flora skeptically scanned Corrin, who smiled nervously. “Well, have fun with your cough drops,” Flora waved Corrin goodbye and dragged Felicia along with her.  
Corrin let out a sigh of relief, and went back to taking medical supplies. When she had stuffed her pockets as best she could, she ran back to Jakob. “Here… I brought a Mend Staff, will that help?” Corrin handed Jakob the staff.  
“It should, thank you,” Jakob took the staff and used it to heal the girl. “Can you sit up? Jakob turned to Lilith.  
“I… think so. Thank you,” Lilith nodded in gratitude. “Would you mind telling me where I am?” Lilith looked around in confusion.  
“Would you mind telling me who you are and why you came here?” Jakob crossed his arms.  
“Oh! Right, how careless of me. My name’s Lilith. I can’t talk about why I’m here, just that I’m a refugee,” Lilith breathed. “And you? What are your names?”  
“I’m Corrin, and this is Jakob,” Corrin smiled.  
“Corrin?!” Lilith asked in shock.  
“Er… yes…” Corrin looked at Lilith in confusion.  
“I- it’s a really pretty name,” Lilith smiled nervously.  
“Yeah, right,” Jakob rolled his eyes.  
“Well, not as pretty as Lilith,” Corrin laughed.  
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Jakob glanced over. “Well, how soon can you leave?”  
“What?” Lilith looked up at Jakob  
“Does she really *have* to leave?” Corrin hugged Lilith.  
“Yes, she does. We can’t just take in strays, and I imagine her parents are looking for her,” Jakob glared at the two girls.  
“I’m afraid not,” Lilith sighed, looking pained.  
“Why not?!” Corrin asked in shock.  
“Father… never cared about me. But my dad, well, he’s dead now,” Lilith said cautiously.  
“That is so sad! Jakob, how could you turn her away!” Corrin gave Lilith a tight squeeze.  
“The same way my parents would, except *I’d* do it more polite. If they found you, you’d be lucky not to end up in the dungeons for trespassing. At least *I’m* offering you aid! We’ll give you food, and clothes, and blankets, and we’ll send you on your way,” Jakob sighed.  
“I understand,” Lilith said, looking downcast.  
“I don’t! Jakob, this is your mansion! Can’t you find some form of work for her to do in return for a place to stay?” Corrin asked indignantly.  
Jakob turned his stunned gaze to Corrin. ‘that she’d speak so brashly, so openly. I’m her lord, she does realize what she’s risking by taking that tone with me, doesn’t she? Still, her kindness in quite admirable. For her…’ “Very well, I will see what I can do,” Jakob huffed.  
“Really? Thank you, Jakob!” Lilith got up and hugged Jakob.  
“Don’t thank me just yet. You will have to work if you want to stay,” Jakob cast a look that was just a tad to critical for an eight year old boy down at the young girl.  
“I have to say, I’m impressed,” Corrin whispered to Jakob as the three began to walk back to the mansion.  
“Impressed? What with?” Jakob turned to Corrin.  
“You care. You have a heart. I didn’t think anyone in Nohr cared at all, much less as deeply as you do. I’m impressed,” Corrin smiled at Jakob, causing him to blush.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years pass by, and Jakob and Corrin grow very close. Then, on Jakob's eleventh birthday, ten year old Corrin goes with a group of servants to wake Jakob up and help him prepare, but he resists the urges of the other servants to go down to breakfast.

*Two Years Later*  
After that day in the garden, Jakob found Lilith a place to work in the stables and in the kitchen. People often wondered where he found this mystery girl, and why he brought her in. When asked, he always claimed it was because he knew his parents wouldn’t have done it, and he wanted to be better people than his parents. But he never told anyone that the real reason was because he was impressed by the kindness of the new maid.  
Time passed, and over the next two years, the three found themselves growing rather close. More specifically, Jakob found himself trying to spend more time with Corrin, whether that meant asking for her to do certain tasks or going out of his way to see her, and the two found themselves together, a lot, and trusting the other, a lot. However, Corrin spent a good deal of her time with Lilith for her first few months, and Lilith often found herself gravitating towards the young lord who had saved her.  
“Happy Birthday, Lord Jakob!” a chorus of voices spliced through Jakob’s sleep, and they brought light that burned the darkness from his clenched eyes.  
“Well, it *would* be a happy birthday, if you’d let me sleep in,” Jakob muttered as he pulled a pillow over his face in a vain attempt to clog out the lights the maids had brought in.  
“We can’t do that, Lord Jakob, and you know why,” Felicia’s voice said from next to Jakob’s head.  
“I assure you, I do not. And, Felicia, if you ice me, you won’t get dinner,” Jakob moaned as he turned over.  
“Your birthday breakfast. It’s in a half hour,” Flora spoke sharply as she began pulling clothes out of Jakob’s closet.  
“With my parents?” Jakob groaned groggily, flopping flat on his back.  
“I’m afraid so,” Corrin yanked the pillow from his head. “But is that really so bad? I mean, they’re your parents, and they’re trying to show they care about you.”  
“My parents don’t care about me. Felicia, Flora, you two can go, I can get dressed on my own,” Jakob said dismissively.  
“So then why is Corrin staying?” Felicia asked in confusion.  
“I’ll tell you later,” Flora muttered as she dragged her sister out of the room.  
“Why am I staying?” Corrin asked in confusion.  
“You usually braid Lilith’s hair, correct?” Jakob looked at her.  
Corrin nodded.  
“Could you braid my hair?” Jakob asked Corrin as he pulled at some of his hair, which fell down to the bottom of his neck.  
“Sure, but you’ll need to sit up,” Corrin kicked off her boots and plopped down behind Jakob on his bed, beginning to brush and braid his hair.  
*Stroke, stroke* corrin thought about how the two sisters left. *stroke* Flora and Felicia were so close*stroke*. Corrin used to be that close *stroke* with her siblings, Hinoka and Ryoma and even young Takumi. *stroke* She had tried to avoid thinking about them, *stroke* but recently she found herself missing them a lot. *stroke* and then there was Jakob, *stroke* who had a family, who had a mother and father *stroke*, who had both of his parents with him, *stroke*, and he couldn’t even stand to be around them. *Stroke* Oh, what Corrin would give to see her father’s face somewhere other than the nightmares she had of that night, *stroke* or to hear her mother’s voice again, telling Corrin some story or another as she tucked her daughter in to bed. *stroke.*  
“Wha- rgh, what’s wrong?” Jakob winced as Corrin pulled his hair tight.  
“What? Nothing? Why would you suggest such a thing?” Corrin grunted innocently as she pulled one section of hair over another.  
“You mean other than how tight you’re pulling my hair? I can see your face in the mirror,” Jakob grimaced as he gestured to the mirror across from his bed, which did indeed reveal Corrin’s reflection.  
Corrin almost didn’t recognize the girl in the mirror, as she hadn’t been able to use a real one in ages. She found that she had a most unpleasant look on her face, something akin to a scowl, twisted in sadness. Tear stains faintly lined her cheeks, which shocked Corrin because she thought she had managed to wipe away the tears from last night, not that she even remembered crying. She looked frustrated… pained, even.  
“So? What were you thinking about?” Jakob asked, causing Corrin to smile.  
‘he tries to hide that he cares, but he does, I can tell,’ Corrin chuckled to herself, shaking her head. “Nothing you need to worry a hair on your head over,” she smiled as best she could and patted Jakob on the head.  
“Well, it’s causing you to hurt quite a few hairs on my head, so please, tell me,” Jakob grunted, giving Corrin a pointed glare in the mirror.  
“Well… it’s just… I was thinking about my family,” Corrin sighed as she lifted another section of Jakob’s hair under and over the middle section.  
“Oh,” Jakob sighed. “And you still maintain that they were the Hoshidan royal family, I presume.”  
“Well, they were, but I promised not to talk about that any more, remember. And I prefer to keep my promises,” Corrin looked down at her hands.  
“Just this once, I suppose I’ll indulge. Now, what specifically were you thinking about?” Jakob sighed.  
‘…! I didn’t see that coming! Why does he try to hide his heart so often, I wonder,’ Corrin thought to herself. “Well, it’s just that I was pretty close to them, and seeing Flora and Felicia reminded me of how close I was, particularly with Hinoka, and how I don’t have any siblings any more. Gods, I don’t even know if Ryoma is still alive!”  
“High Prince Ryoma? Why wouldn’t he still be alive?” Jakob asked.  
“Well, he was there, in the attack that took Father’s life. I didn’t see what happened to him before King Garon took me,” Corrin shook her head.  
‘Is this girl serious? She sounds genuine… and King Garon was killed in an attack two years ago, reportedly alongside one of his daughters, though they never found the body. Didn’t the Hoshidans always claim that she was alive, and that they would see her returned?’ Jakob thought. “Well, last I heard, High Prince Ryoma was alive and well.”  
Corrin nodded in gratitude. All these years, she had wondered if her big brother had made it out okay, and now she knew. “I was also thinking about how close I was to Mother and Father, and how I wished I could spend my birthday eating breakfast with them,” Corrin smiled sadly as she continued to braid Jakob’s hair.  
“Oh, foul! Using your sad story to get me to go enjoy my parents’ company! Well, they aren’t the same, yours and mine, so please, stop trying to guilt trip me into going,” Jakob huffed indignantly.  
“But that’s not what I intended! All I meant was that I was thinking about how I missed them, and how jealous I am that you can still speak to your parents, even if you’re not that polite while doing so,” Corrin sighed earnestly.  
“Well, now it seems I have to go enjoy breakfast with my parents, but only for your sake. So I hope you’re happy,” Jakob huffed sarcastically at Corrin as he stood up to get dressed.  
“I am. Thank you, Jakob,” Corrin nodded with a smile as she leaned back in Jakob’s bed.


	7. Chapter 7

“So? Why’d he keep you?” Felicia asked when Corrin joined her in the kitchen.  
“He wanted me to braid his hair,” Corrin shrugged as she found a broom and began to sweep.  
“Is that all?” Felicia almost sounded disappointed.  
“What else were you expecting?” Corrin looked over at Felicia, who was hunched over a counter.  
“I tried to tell you not to get your hopes up,” Flora sighed as she wiped down a plate.  
“Hopes up for what?” Corrin asked in honest confusion.  
“Confessions of love, kissy-kissy, and the like,” Lilith nodded as she put a tray of rolls in the oven.  
“What? What are you talking about? Why would Jakob keep me behind for that?” Corrin stopped her sweeping.  
“Felicia thinks the two of you are in love. I tried to tell her how ridiculous that was, but she wouldn’t listen,” Lilith shook her head as she closed the oven.  
“But… we’re not?” Corrin said in shock.  
“Are you sure? Because the two of you are on a first name basis,” Flora sighed.  
“Lord Jakob and Corrin, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Fi-“ Felicia began.  
“What my sister is trying to say is, the rumor mill loves to spin. And you and Lord Jakob are only going to become a more frequent topic of conversation as you age,” Flora cut her sister off.  
“Wait, I’m confused. There’s nothing to talk about?” Corrin began to sweep again.  
“I don’t know, Corrin. The two of you are always off in the gardens, on your own no less, and you two frequently have private conversations. And have you seen the way you look at each other? I understand where these rumors are coming from is all,” Flora picked up a bowl as she turned her head to face Corrin.  
“But we’re just friends,” Corrin laughed with a slight blush as she turned back to her sweeping.  
“Suuuu-rree,” Felicia rolled her eyes.

 

A few hours later, Jakob invited Corrin to go for a walk in the gardens. As the two walked, Corrin could not stop thinking about what Felicia and Flora had said. She found herself looking in curiosity at Jakob. ‘could he really like me?’ she thought as she studied his face while he complained about something or another.  
“And your not listening,” Jakob sighed as he looked over at her.  
“Oh! I’m sorry, what was it you were talking about?” Corrin shook her head, trying to snap out of her wandering thoughts.  
“It’s… not important. What has you so distracted?” Jakob stopped in the middle of the path, taking Corrin’s hand.  
Corrin gulped, looking at the hand. “Why… why do you want to know?” she managed to choke out.  
“If it distracts you this much now, I’d hate to see how much trouble it causes you during work. And if you get distracted while working, you could set fire to the room your in, and don’t tell me that’s unreasonable, because Felicia’s already lit three fires in the kitchen this week alone,” Jakob grumbled, looking away from Corrin.  
“Oh, is that why it smelled like smoke last night?” Corrin asked. “Okay, but that’s different. That’s Felicia. She’s clumsy when she’s not distracted,” Corrin shook her head.  
“Still, I’d rather you not take chances,” Jakob chuckled, giving Corrin a caring smile.  
“Well, Felicia made an… interesting comment earlier, and it’s stuck with me,” Corrin laughed. “It’s silly, really, but she said that people think you and I are… in love.”  
“Is the concept really so preposterous?” Jakob grimaced.  
“Yes, yes, Jakob, yes it is! We’re TEN! Or, well, you’re eleven,” Corrin threw her hands up. “We shouldn’t be thinking about love, we should be thinking about where our siblings are hiding, or how late we convince our parents to let us stay up! Regardless, with our stations… no way it would ever work!”  
“And if station wasn’t a thing?” Jakob said suddenly.  
“…what?” Corrin turned to Jakob.  
“If station wasn’t a thing. You claim to be a Hoshidan princess, don’t you? What if we ran away, to Hoshido, where you’d be a princess-“  
“And you’d be a Nohrian nobleman. A NOHRIAN, Jakob. And just a simple noble,” Corrin looked at Jakob.  
“Just a simple noble?” Jakob found himself laughing. He found himself laughing a lot with Corrin, more so than with others. “But why would my nationality matter if I were the dashing young man who returned their princess?” ‘unless, of course, you’re lying…’  
“You don’t know the way they are about Nohr,” Corrin sighed.  
“But wouldn’t you want to go home?” Jakob took Corrin’s hand again, looking deep into her blood-red eyes.  
“I…” Corrin had tried not to consider the possibility up until now. “Are you offering?” Corrin knew he probably was not, that he wouldn’t actually give up his whole life for her. But, try as she might to avoid trusting Jakob, she found hope creeping into her heart.  
“Am I offering… what?” Jakob smiled honestly.  
“Are you offering to leave your home, your parents, your country, to help me run away from Nohr? To help me… return to Hoshido?” Corrin stared into Jakob’s violet eyes, so honest and true for someone so young. Those eyes… Corrin was used to seeing them alight, as they normally were around her, but she could see clouds forming in them, frustrations and pains that maybe he hid around her, and maybe he didn’t mean to, but now, they began to creep back in. She found all the confirmation she needed in those frank eyes. “Very well, if you can find a way to get us to Hoshido, I’ll go with you. And I’ll put in a good word for with my mother,” Corrin smiled the most honest smile she worn in the past two years as she grabbed Jakob’s neck and hugged him tight. “Thank you, Jakob,” she whispered in his ears.  
“…you’re welcome, Corrin,” Jakob blushed aggressively in the shade of the trees of the garden.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five years have now passed, and though the two grew very close for the first year of making plans to run away and of taking walks in the gardens, after some time they made fewer advancements in their plans. Feelings of disappointment and frustration welled inside Corrin, and the two slowly drifted apart until, four years after Jakob first proposed the plan, they stop sneaking time together in all together. However, Jakob finds that he is unable to stop working on those plans, even though she no longer has interest. Now, the two are sixteen, and both are awakened to new feelings regarding the other.

*five years later*  
The two continued to plan their grand escape, but as time continued to flow, they discussed running away less and less frequently. However, Jakob always kept thinking about how they could leave, playing with the idea. He found that it helped him to find peace when Corrin wasn’t around.  
And that to grew less frequent as the years dragged on. Jakob wondered for a time why she came around less often, and he never would have guessed the real reason. No, even Corrin struggled to admit to herself the real reason, but, as truth would have it, she found that she could not stop thinking about that morning. About how people thought she and Jakob were in love. And about how if they continued with their friendship, how these speculations would only grow. And, much to her surprise, she found herself wondering if these speculations were right.  
So it was one morning that a sixteen year old Corrin flopped down on Lilith’s bed while it’s owner was still soundly asleep.  
“What do you want, Corrin?” Lilith groaned as she sat up and looked at the clock.  
“Not to have to work today,” Corrin sighed.  
“Are… you okay?” Lilith kicked Corrin off of her legs while reaching for a brush.  
“I don’t know! You should be telling me, because apparently everyone knows everything about me before I do!” Corrin stared up at the ceiling.  
“This again? Corrin, you can’t avoid him forever,” Lilith rolled her eyes and continued to brush out her long, blue hair.  
“Why not?” Corrin sat up and looked at Lilith.  
“Because he’s your boss?” Lilith pointed the hairbrush at Corrin.  
“That can’t be a good enough reason,” Corrin groaned.  
“Okay, well, how about that you obviously don’t want to avoid him,” Lilith closed her eyes.  
Corrin hated to admit it, but Lilith had a point. By the Dawn Dragon, sometimes it felt like everyone else knew her better than she knew herself. “Alright, get over here,” Corrin pulled Lilith in front of her so that she could braid Lilith’s hair.  
“But would talking to Master Jakob really be such a bad thing?” Lilith asked as Corrin began to braid her hair. “I mean, if you two had a romantic relationship, yes, I’m afraid that would be a problem. But if you two just talked, like friends do, like you used to…”  
“It’s been a long time since we ‘used to,’ Lilith,” Corrin breathed in, and exhaled.  
“Why’d the two of you stop talking, anyway?” Lilith asked.  
“…no reason,” Corrin said, thinking back on the first year or so they had spent planning their escape. Corrin had been so excited to leave, and of course she knew he probably wouldn’t be able to make good on his promises, but the trusting part of her had continued to hope.

 

“Wake up, Jakob,” Corrin said loudly as she entered the room, evidently accompanied by Flora and Felica, or in the very least Felicia’s giggling and Flora’s scolding voice telling her to stop mocking the two. Still, hearing her voice, hearing Corrin call him Jakob the way she used to and not ‘Master’ or ‘Milord,’ it was truly a breath of fresh air in Jakob’s lungs.  
“I’m up, I’m up,” Jakob’s eyes snapped open.  
“That was quick,” Flora said in shock.  
“Yes, well, I’m not eight anymore. I am more than capable of being mature,” Jakob glared at Flora.  
“You didn’t feel that way yesterday,” Felicia laughed, eyes twinkling.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jakob huffed indignantly, sitting up.  
“You didn’t want to get out of bed yesterday? Have you grown up at all?” Corrin asked as she moved into the closet to get a coat for him. She paused by his desk, though, because something caught her eye. The drawer of Jakob’s desk was semi-open, and some papers and maps, which appeared to show Hoshido, were scattered about with notes scrawled over them inside. ‘Is that…?’ Corrin thought as she gazed into the drawer. ‘no, probably just wishful thinking,’ Corrin shook her head and continued into the closet. Still, the thought of those days, back when they were young, and they had planned to run away together, those thoughts brought a smile to her face.  
“Well, you would know that I have, in fact, matured quite well, if you’d come see me more often,” Jakob raised an eyebrow.  
“I have work, Jakob, you know that,” Corrin said as she returned from the closet with a jacket and a shirt.  
“Yes, I do, but I also know that you work for me. And that it never stopped you before,” Jakob sighed as he removed his sleep shirt.  
“Yeah, you have enough spare time to hang out with Lilith. And you do that for ho-urs,” Felicia nodded as she put Jakob’s sleep shirt on the bed.  
Corrin glared at Felicia, mouthing ‘not. Helping!’ “Well, you’re full and well welcome to order me to hang out with you,” Corrin opened up Jakob’s new shirt and held one sleeve out for him.  
‘… but then it’s not because you want to see me. Gods, have you really lost all interest in me? And am I really still just a little boy, wanting desperately to make that girl happy? How did we end up like this?’ Jakob shook his head in thought as he slid his arm into the sleeve that Corrin was holding out for him.  
“What?” Corrin asked, noticing how he shook his head and assuming it was in response to her question.  
“Hm?” Jakob asked, looking up.  
“You shook your head. Can you not simply order me to hang out with you?” Corrin asked, taking his other arm and sliding it into the other sleeve.  
“No, I don’t believe I can. We are older now,” Jakob said brusquely, reminding Corrin once again of that day in the kitchens, “if we were to hang out more now, it could cause suspicion of a scandal. Which, I imagine, would not end well for you.”  
“Ah… I see,” Corrin grunted as she did up his shirt. She blushed slightly at the thought of her and him and being with him. But the bit about it not ending well surprised Corrin somewhat. Why would he care what happened to her. He shouldn’t, they weren’t friends, and she was just a maid.  
Much to Jakob’s own shock, he found himself quite disappointed by her answer. What had happened to the girl who told him it didn’t matter what other people would do, who told him not to care how people would react? He looked at her, and he found that she seemed rather troubled, which was a stark contrast to how he had once known her. It wasn’t the same type of troubled as she had been when they first met, no, the young woman before him was drastically different from the scared little girl, sobbing in a corner. But she was no longer care-free, like she had been in the past when they had gone for walks in the gardens. No, the woman who stood before him was confused, concerned, and maybe even a little bit cold toward Jakob. Not very cold, Jakob didn’t think it was possible for Corrin to be that harsh, but just enough to show that something very much was the matter.  
“Is something wrong, Corrin?” Jakob asked, searching her eyes for any clue.  
“What? No. Should something be wrong?” Corrin was startled by Jakob’s question.  
“I suppose it shouldn’t. As soon as you’re done putting the clothes away, you’re dismissed,” Jakob reached for a brush as Corrin moved back to the closet to put his sleep shirt and pants away. Flora and Felicia left as soon as Corrin entered the closet.   
As she was leaving the closet, however, she saw the desk again, it’s drawers still opened. Corrin had to wonder, was what she had seen real? Or just her active imagination? Corrin’s curiosity almost got the best of her as she attempted to look into the drawer, but ultimately she decided she would not be able to investigate further at that moment. That, however, did not keep her from stopping at the sight of the desk peering in as inconspicuously as she could.  
“I *said* you are dismissed, Corrin,” Jakob sighed as he brushed his hair. A large part of Jakob hoped she would continue to ignore him, though. That part longed for the days they used to spend together, laughing and talking and trusting. That part silently wished she would walk over to his bed and braid his hair, the same way she had all those years ago.  
“I- Oh! Yes, of course, Jakob,” Corrin looked up from the desk, startled from her investigation before she could make any solid conclusions. Corrin hurried out of the room, but as she was about to leave, she cast one last glance at Jakob, who gave her a questioning look in return. She sighed as she realized that, even after all this time, he still cared about her.  
“What was she looking so intently at?” Jakob muttered to himself, getting up to go inspect the desk. To his shock, he found the drawer semi-open, revealing some of the maps and papers and books and notes he had been working on late last night, when he couldn’t sleep. The ones that were of Hoshido, and how one would best go about sneaking out of Nohr and into Hoshido, and how he could get her out of his mansion and to the border without being caught. ‘What a *fool* you are, Jakob,’ he thought to himself, ‘to keep working on that all this time, when she obviously wanted little to do with you. Now she must think you’re still hung up on her. And what if she thinks you can get her back soon? Does the poor girl really need such false hope?’  
Outside his room, Corrin smiled slightly to herself as she slid the door shut.  
“What took you so long?” Flora sighed from next to the door.  
“Nothing!” Corrin blushed, turning in surprise.  
“I don’t think so,” Felicia smiled. “C’mon you can tell me!”  
“Really, Felicia, it was nothing,” Corrin blushed even harder, grabbing the twins by the elbow and walking to the kitchens.  
“No way! Are the childhood lovers back together again? See, Flora, I told you,” Felicia giggled.  
“No! Felicia, we never were a thing, and we certainly aren’t now,” Corrin rolled her eyes, trying to hide how embarrassed she was.  
“That’s such a shame. You two seemed so happy when you were around each other,” Flora shook her head.  
“You think?” Corrin asked in shock.  
“Yes, I do,” Flora nodded. “In fact, that in there, that has to be the happiest I’ve seen either of you since you stopped taking walks in the garden.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Later that day, Corrin has a conversation with Lilith and Flora and Felicia, which calls a few very important facts to her attention.

“You seem happy,” Lilith nodded at Corrin later that day, at lunch time, when she joined Lilith in the kitchens.  
“Oh, I do? Well, why shouldn’t I?” Corrin asked as she poured some tea from the pot into a cup, and handed the cup and the pot to Felicia.  
“I’ve been asking myself the same question for a year now,” Lilith sighed, turning to her cake batter.  
“I’ll tell you why she’s so happy! She’s so happy because she got some *alone* time with Master Ja- oof!” Felicia began, but then she tripped and physically spilt tea all over the floor and Lilith.  
“You and Jakob? What happened,” Lilith grimaced as she tried to clean the tea off of her.  
“Nothing happened, Lilith,” Corrin huffed as she moved to help Felicia clean up.  
Lilith breathed in relief, but then a wave of confusion washed over her. “If nothing happened, why are you so happy? Is it *because* he didn’t make any moves?”  
“Pfft, please, she wouldn’t be happy because he didn’t notice her,” Felicia glanced up at Lilith.  
“She can speak for herself,” Corrin grimaced and moved on to help clean Lilith up.  
“So? What happened?” Lilith asked.  
“I just… was reminded of something, is all. Old memories, happy ones,” Corrin smiled, thinking back on her childhood. Thinking back on days spent playing with her little brother Takumi, and how Hinoka would tend to the two if they got hurt, and of her baby sister, Sakura, and how maybe, just maybe, she’d get to see them again, and all because Jakob hadn’t given up on her dream, even if she had. Thinking back on days spent taking walks in the gardens with Jakob, and the little conversations they had had once, and how they had used to find time, sometimes being forced to sneak around at night, to scheme how they’d get out of his family’s grounds, to a border, and into Hoshido, and how they’d imagine and talk about what they would do when they got to Hoshido, how they would introduce Jakob, and whether or not he’d be well liked by Corrin’s siblings.  
“And I suppose none of those memories include Jakob and the gardens, do they?” Flora smiled, a hint of teasing in her voice.  
“Well, I suppose a few of them did…” Corrin admitted.  
“You should really go back there with him,” Flora nodded, chuckling to herself because she knew she was right, all the while silently thinking about how long Felicia had waited to hear their friend say that she was happy around Master Jakob.  
“You think?” Corrin stood up from helping clean off Lilith.  
“No! Have you lost your mind, girl?” Lilith grabbed Corrin’s shoulders.  
“What? No, why?” Corrin blinked at Lilith in a mix of shock and confusion.  
“There’s no way that will end well, Corrin! You two cannot be together, not officially, and definitely not at all if his parents found out. Oh, Anankos, if they found out about you and him, Anankos forbid you two ever are more than just friends, they’ll get rid of you, and you’d be lucky if you got to keep your life in the event that they did. And what happens when he gets married? You’ll be his mistress? No, that man is a sure path to heartbreak, Corrin,” Lilith shook her head at her friend. ‘oh, Father, how could she be this stupid,’ Lilith thought in concern for Corrin, ‘or, no, not stupid. Just as easily blinded by love as you could be…’  
“You don’t know that, Lilith,” Corrin said, struggling to keep from telling her about their plans to run away, and about how he had continued to plan even when she hadn’t.  
“And I suppose you do?” Lilith shook her head.  
“You’re right, I don’t know. But I do know that everyone has noticed that we’re happiest when we’re together,” Corrin broke away from Lilith, making up her mind then and there.

 

“C’mon,” Corrin rushed up to the desk Jakob was sitting at.  
“What? Come where? What’s happening?” Jakob asked in shock.  
“I’m going to go put up your plate and cup, and then the two of us are going to go on a walk. Like we used to,” Corrin smiled.  
“What are you talking about?” Jakob looked into her red eyes, alight with joy and excitement once more, which was a breath of fresh air compared the clouds of frustration that had darkened her sweet face earlier that morning.  
“Oh, just, come ON,” Corrin grabbed Jakob’s hands and pulled him up. Then she let on go, but held on very tightly to the other hand, and with her free hand, she grabbed his plate and cup. Then she dragged a very confused and startled Jakob down to the kitchen, where she dropped off the plates, and out into the gardens.  
“I’m confused, why did you rush me out into the gardens,” Jakob looked around, huffing and puffing.  
“We used to go on walks out here all the time, remember?” Corrin said with excitement.  
“Yeah… yeah I do. Those days were fun,” Jakob smiled slightly. Could that have been why Corrin had done this? To get him to walk with her again? Jakob didn’t mind, of course, but could she honestly just want to walk and talk, like when they were younger?  
“People said that the both of us were noticeably happier when we did this, and I was thinking that maybe we should try to go on more walks?” Corrin nodded hopefully. “This doesn’t even have to be a regular thing, we could just do it this once…?”  
“You… really want to go on a walk with me?” Jakob asked in surprise. “Even though I couldn’t figure out how to get you out of here? Even though I got your hopes up, and then I couldn’t actually do what I offered?”  
“What are you talking about?” Corrin blinked in surprise.   
“You hate me, don’t you?” Jakob stared at Corrin, such beautiful shades of gray reflecting on her cloud-white hair in the shade of the trees, some light reflecting off of her.  
“Why would I hate you?” Corrin grabbed Jakob’s shoulder; she may have been taken by surpise by the statement, but she wasn’t so confused that she was blind to Jakob’s obvious need for comfort of some sort. “More importantly, why would you even think that I hate you?”  
“Because I let you down… wait, you don’t hate me?” Jakob looked at Corrin in confusion.  
“No, dumbass!” Corrin sighed in exasperation, and then she grabbed Jakob’s hand and started walking along the path.  
“No… what? No I didn’t let you down, or no you don’t hate me?” Jakob allowed himself to be pulled along.  
“You know, I think I’ll just let you wonder,” Corrin laughed playfully, squinting her eyes at Jakob.   
Jakob looked at those eyes, so beautiful, so full of life. So… happy. Looking at her, here, in the gardens, laughing and smiling at him, talking with him, he finally solved the puzzle that had been laying in pieces in the back of his subconscious for at least the last year, the same puzzle he had been struggling with all day since he noticed her noticing those maps. She was so happy when they had planned together, when they would sneak into the library at night and stay up, hoping to find some new secret passage out of Nohr, and when she would talk to him about her family. He still didn’t quite believe her, but he knew that talking about these people made her the happiest he had ever seen her. And seeing her that happy, he didn’t know how to describe how it made him feel, but he knew it went beyond happy, beyond joyful. It made him so warm he wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he was glowing, and, if what Corrin had said was true, he might very well have been.  
“So, what has kept you so busy all this time, Corrin,” Jakob smiled at her.  
“Well, Jakob, let me think… what in Nohr could it possibly be? Oh, wait, I know, my job?” Corrin shook her head at Jakob with a laugh. “Gods, is this your idea of small talk, because let me just say, you are doing a terrible job.”  
“Well, then, you’re free to pick a subject,” Jakob looked up at the sky as they walked.  
Corrin closed her eyes and shook her head, allowing herself to just feel. She breathed in the chilly air as the wind blew past it her and ruffled her hair. She listened, and she didn’t hear much, it was pretty silent, but she thought she could hear some animals chirping in the distance, and if she focused long and hard enough, and if she leaned in close enough, she could hear every breath Jakob took. And yet, something was wrong. No, not wrong, missing.  
She pulled Jakob to a stop, a mischievous smile slowly beginning to take over her face.  
“Corrin? What’s wrong?” Jakob turned to Corrin in concern, almost wondering if she was getting scared about how much time they had spent together. ‘she wouldn’t care what people would say about this… would she? No, of course not, she’s not that type of girl…’  
Corrin sat down on the ground, and pulled Jakob down with her.  
“Okay, I’ll bite. What are we doing?” Jakob looked at Corrin, his concern turning into curiosity as he watched her pull her foot up to her…  
And remove her boot.  
“Corrin. What the fuck. I’m really confused, please, Corrin, use your words,” Jakob sat back in shock and confusion and… amusement, which added plenty more to his shock.  
Corrin didn’t respond as she pulled the sock off of that foot and stuck it in her boot, then repeated the process with her other foot. “That’s better,” she said as she stretched her toes. “Okay, now you!”  
“I’m sorry, what?” Jakob blinked at her.  
“Remove your shoes,” Corrin smiled pleasantly.  
Jakob looked at her, and he knew he could not refuse her. Not if he wanted to, but apart of him had to admit, he wanted to see what she was so excited about. So he sighed, shook his head, and removed his own shoes and socks.  
Corrin grabbed his hands and pulled them both up, then she removed their gloves. “That’s so much better, don’t you think?” Corrin let out a content sigh.  
Jakob did not know how to respond. A part of him thought they should both be wearing shoes, but another part of him was almost relieved at not having his feet constrained, and pleasantly surprised by how much he could feel beneath his toes. It took him a minute, but ultimately he found himself smiling and telling Corrin, “Yes, yes I think I do.”  
Corrin laughed, feeling the stones underneath her feet. Then she pulled Jakob along down the path, taking the time to breathe and to feel each and every rock and bump as it passed beneath her feet.   
The two continued to walk for some time, but they eventually had to bring it to an end. But before the two could walk back in to the house, Jakob pulled Corrin to a stop.  
She looked at him with a questioning, but not unhappy look.  
“Corrin… I had a good time today. Thank you, truly. I think we should do this again sometime,” Jakob said cautiously.  
“Really? I’d like that, Jakob, more than you know,” Corrin smiled, and Jakob let out his breath.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting in to a fight with Lilith, Corrin goes looking for Jakob, who surprises her with a very special gift.

*Two Weeks Later*  
A few weeks passed, and the two slowly started spending more and more time together. It started with just a walk through the gardens every few days, and then those became more frequent, and then they were finding time to go walking every day. As the walks became more frequent and the two grew closer together, they began looking for more time to spend alone together, which they often found in the library when Corrin had time off, or, slightly less frequently, by sneaking into the kitchens late at night, or, least common of all, at meal times, when Jakob wasn’t expected to eat with his parents, and they’d sit and eat lunch together.  
One day, Corrin finished her morning work early, and she knew from being the one to set the table for the Lord and Lady of the manor that Jakob would have a free lunch time. Corrin grinned, and went off to look for Jakob, hoping to surprise him. After a few minutes of not finding Jakob, she caught sight of Lilith, who’s arm she grabbed as she dashed by.  
“Hey, Lilith, have you seen Jakob?” Corrin panted, a wide smile spread across her face.  
“You’re hanging out with him again?” Lilith asked her friend, concern, much to Corrin’s surprise, etched into her face.  
Corrin stared at Lilith, taking a minute to think about why her friend seem so concerned. She remembered what Lilith had said a couple weeks ago, about how if Corrin and Jakob became too close, it would lead to Corrin’s heart breaking.  
“Lilith… that’s not what this is…” Corrin adjusted her position so she could give Lilith enough of her attention.  
“But there’s something! And that something is *dangerous*, Corrin,” Lilith looked pained as she grabbed Corrin’s hand.  
“I rather don’t think that it is. We’re friends. How harmful can that be?” Corrin paused, breathing in while trying to understand why Lilith took such issue with her friendship with Jakob.  
“Are you sure you are simply ‘friends?’ Because I don’t think that’s the case,” Lilith shook her head at Corrin’s ignorance and naivety.  
“Yes, I’m fairly confident that we are, Lilith. Why would you suggest otherwise?” Corrin was taken aback by Lilith.  
“Because, Corrin, I have seen the way the two of you look at each other, I have seen the way you smile when he’s mentioned, and I have heard the way you talk about him. Oh, Anan-kos, I have seen nothing but these things from you two since the moment you found me that day in the garden. Corrin, I have fully functioning eyes and ears, and so do just about everyone, except the two of you, it would seem,” Lilith sighed.  
“You know, I do see, quite clearly. I see that I’m happiest around him, and that he seems happy around me. But you can’t just be happy for me? Do I not deserve some happiness?” Corrin shook her head, feeling a little hurt.  
“Of *course* you deserve happiness, Corrin. But the happiness you feel with him… it’s not real, it won’t last,” Lilith whispered harshly.  
“How can you know that, Lilith?” Corrin asked, voice creaking, unable to believe what she was hearing from her friend.  
“Because, he’s a nobleman, and you’re a maid. And before you say anything about how that shouldn’t matter, know that I’m not saying he doesn’t love you. Maybe he does, for all I know, but that is not the point, Corrin. You can’t have your happy ever after, you simply cannot. It’s not possible, if you even wanted to dream of marrying him, you’d have to tell his parents, and they’d never allow it. Jakob will marry some Lady, probably for the ties, and when that happens, he won’t be able to be with you, and that will leave you broken. But that’s assuming you two don’t call it off sooner, which would also leave you broken,” Lilith came close to tears.  
“Do you know where Jakob is,” Corrin hissed, gritting her teeth as she tried her best to ignore Lilith’s harsh judgement of her relationship.  
“… he’s in the greenhouse,” Lilith said begrudgingly.  
“The… greenhouse? Since when is there a greenhouse?” Corrin asked in surprise. She’d been here for years, and yet she had never once seen a greenhouse. “Okay, well, where is it?”  
Lilith pointed her in the direction she needed to go, and Corrin walked off, trying to process everything that had just happened. It was just too much new information, and Corrin was left very unsettled by Lilith’s concerns.  
But not as unsettled as she was to find a massive greenhouse through a door she had used many times in the east wing of the manor. That door had never led to a greenhouse before.  
“Wha… when did this happen?” Corrin gasped as she looked around. There were so many plants, and they were all so full of life, far more so than most plants in Nohr. The whole building was full of colors, more colors then Corrin had remembered there being. Had it really been so long since she had seen such plant life last? She breathed in, tasting the scents of young Hoshidan cherry blossoms. It was so vibrant and bright, a drastic contrast to the dark shades that defined almost all of Nohr, where every art had been so influenced by the kingdom’s seemingly eternal dusk.  
“Corrin?! What are you doing here?” Jakob asked in shock as he stumbled out from behind a massive bush that was beginning to bud large, red flowers. It looked very familiar, but Corrin could not think of the plant’s name.  
“I could ask you the same thing? I didn’t even know there *was* a greenhouse!” Corrin smiled in awe.  
“That was the idea… Gods, can’t anyone keep a secret in this damn place?” Jakob grumbled.  
“I’m afraid not, but what did you mean by ‘secret?’” Corrin laughed as she looked at Jakob, the glow in her eyes a bit shaded by her budding confusion.  
“This was supposed to be a surprise, but now one of those fools has gone and ruined it, I suppose,” Jakob shook his head. “Don’t know what I expected…”  
“A surprise? For who… me?” Corrin did not know what to think when Jakob shook his head yes. “Well, and here I was thinking I’d be the one surprising you today,” Corrin shook her head as she ran to Jakob, hugging him.  
“What are you talking about? Did something happen?” Jakob took her by the shoulders so he could look her in the eyes.  
“Well, nothing like this,” Corrin gestured excitedly at the plants around her, “I just got off for lunch early, and I was hoping we could spend some extra time eating together.”  
Jakob sighed as he looked at Corrin, smiling to himself that she would want to spend her free time with him. Here, surrounded by colors and life, this was the happiest he could think he had seen her, and he was once more surprised at how it made his heart feel like it was melting, but it was melting slowly enough that he enjoyed it.  
“If you really want to eat-“ Jakob started.  
“Oh, no, that’s fine, I’d rather look around here,” Corrin cut off Jakob enthusiastically, pushing out of his arms and moving her eyes around the room.  
“If you had allowed me to finish my sentence, Corrin, you would know that I was not suggesting we go eat elsewhere, but rather that we bring food to the greenhouse,” Jakob blushed.  
“Oh! Really? Can we, please?” Corrin looked back at Jakob, eyes bright with hope.  
“Come,” Jakob shook his head, grabbing a giggling Corrin and guiding her out the door, down several halls, and to the kitchens.  
“I’ll go get us something to eat,” Corrin smiled at Jakob, turning to go into the pantry.  
“I-I-I’ll help!” Felicia tripped over herself as she stumbled up to Corrin with a very large grin on her face.  
Corrin looked at Felicia skeptically, but shook her head and allowed her friend to join her in the pantry.  
“So, you and Master Jakob. Eating together. Like a date?” Felicia giggled, snuggling up beside Corrin as the two girls reached for rolls and fruits.  
Corrin rolled her eyes. “Hey, did you know about the greenhouse?” Corrin asked, trying to change the subject. Of course, she knew the minute the words were out of her mouth that she had failed.  
“You didn’t?” Felicia blinked in surprise and confusion.  
“Er… well… no, I didn’t…” Corrin looked away absentmindedly.  
“How? I mean, it’s an entire room! Surely you had to notice when they were putting it in?” Felicia scrunched her eyebrow in confusion.  
“Nope. I haven’t really been down that way too much lately,” Corrin grabbed a jar of something from a shelf.  
“Hey, do you know why it was put in?” Felica turned to Corrin.  
“I was REALLY hoping you wouldn’t ask that question, but it would seem that Jakob had it put in for me,” Corrin looked away from Felicia’s wide eyes.  
“For you? So you two are together?” Felicia asked.  
“No! It was just a friendly gesture,” Corrin shook her head.  
“Right, because friends make entire gardens for their other friends,” Felicia rolled her eyes.  
“Well, they do when they’re being nice, which, admittedly, is not an adjective usually used to describe Jakob, but, to be fair, most people don’t know him as well as I do. What?” Corrin asked when Felicia snorted.  
“Oh, I just think it’s adorable how you and Master Jakob are on a first name basis,” Felicia smiled, and Corrin couldn’t tell if the girl was teasing or being serious.  
Regardless, Corrin groaned, took the food, and exited the pantry, trying to leave Felicia in the room. However, a giggling Felicia tried to follow her out into the kitchen. Tried being the operative word. Felicia tripped, pushing Corrin in to Jakob, causing the two to fall to the ground and the food in Corrin’s hands to fall all over the floor.  
“Oh, gods, Jakob, I’m so sorry,” Corrin tried to sit up.  
“No, it’s fine, you did nothing wrong,” Jakob tried to reassure Corrin. “Although Felicia really should help pick these up…”  
“Uh, right! I’m sorry,” Felicia shook her head.  
“You should be,” Jakob cast a dissatisfied glance at Felicia.  
Corrin stood up and gave her hand to Jakob, who she helped up, while Felicia nervously gathered their foods off the floor.  
“Uh… you two really still want this food?” Felicia held the food out to Corrin and Jakob.  
“Gods, Felicia, no we do not want to eat dirty food,” Jakob scowled.  
“Hey, it’s okay, it was an accident,” Corrin grabbed Jakob’s arm.  
“Right, well, I will go get you more food,” Felicia stuttered, stumbling over herself to go back to the pantry.  
“Hey, you’re not bothered by the fact that I don’t call you *Master* Jakob, right,” Corrin asked after a few moments of silent glances around the kitchen.  
“Why would I be bothered by that?” Jakob looked at Corrin in surprise.  
“Well, because, you’re my boss. And my master. Technically, I should be calling you Master Jakob, or Milord Jakob, or something like that,” Corrin asked, eyebrows knitting together.  
“No, it’s fine, Corrin, I don’t mind when you call me Jakob,” he sighed, looking away in an attempt to hide the smile crawling across his face from Corrin. Why didn’t it bother him, anyway? She was right, after all. But when Corrin called him by his first name, he always felt so at ease. Far more comfortable than any other time anyone addressed him. But hearing her use words like “Master” and “Milord” always put him on edge.  
“Here, and, again, I am so, very sorry,” Felica came back out of the pantry, carrying a basket full of food.  
“I’m sure,” Jakob glanced down at Felicia while Corrin took the basket.  
“She really is,” Corrin whispered to Jakob as the two turned to leave.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin opens up to Jakob, who does not know how to handle her emotions- or his own. Later, Jakob asks Flora for help making sense of the side of Corrin that had been revealed to him earlier, all the while sorting through his own emotions.

“Do you know where all of these are from?” Corrin asked thirty minutes later while stuffing a cinnamon roll in her mouth and looking around at the trees and flowers and bushes and other foliage that grew in the greenhouse.  
“Not all of them, no, but I did specifically ask for Hoshidan greenery,” Jakob said.  
Corrin peered at Jakob, then at one of the clusters of trees filled with pink flowers, then at those shrubs with the orange fruits, then at the red vines crawling along some of the trees, then back at Jakob. “Jakob.”  
“Yes?” regarded her quizzically.  
“How much green do you see here? In comparison to the garden as a whole?” Corrin chomped down on her cinnamon roll.   
“I thought you were smart enough to know what I meant, but I supposed not. Why did you want to know?” Jakob regarded Corrin, for a minute thinking that the plant life was somehow wrong, that maybe it was foreign even to Corrin.  
Corrin closed her eyes, beaming as she thought about years spent dreaming of plants just like these. All that was missing was the rising sun casting broken rays across the lands from behind mountains, and she could have completely forgotten these past several years. For years, she had vainly dreamed of walking down paths in gardens full of plants just like these, accompanied by her mother and her siblings. Now, standing still, breathing in the perfumed air, she could almost pretend that those dreams had come true. She could pretend that her siblings were next to her, that she was a princess, and that she was walking through a palace garden in Hoshido, hand in hand with her mother. She was so wrapped up in her daydreams that she didn’t even notice she was crying.  
That is, until Jakob startled her out of his dream when he pulled her in close, letting her cry on him. That was when she noticed the tears, and now that she knew they were there, she found that she could not stop sobbing.  
Jakob didn’t quite know what to do, he wasn’t used to people breaking down in front of him. So, he just held her, and let her sob.  
“Thank you, Jakob,” Corrin inhaled, pulling away from him, after a few minutes had passed. “I… I’m good now.”  
“Are you positive?” concern creeped into Jakob’s voice.  
“Honestly? I don’t know,” Corrin wiped away her tears with a shrug.  
“If you need more time…” Jakob began to offer.  
“No, I do not have time,” Corrin shook her head. “I have work.”  
“I can assign you to stay with me, to help me work on the garden,” Jakob looked at Corrin.  
“It’s fine, really, Jakob,” Corrin smiled, and then she left.  
Jakob sat down on a rock with a sigh. He worried about that girl, though he could never figure out why. He looked down, taking a breath and trying to collect himself, and he realized that his clothes were damp from her tears.  
Jakob shook his head, stood up, and left the greenhouse so he could go change his jacket and shirt. As he was walking down the hall, he grabbed someone, and told them to summon Flora to his room.  
“Are you okay, Master Jakob?” The voice said, noticing the tear stains on his clothes.  
“It’s none of your concern,” Jakob grunted, walking on down to his room.  
“Master Jakob? What can I do for you?” Flora said, entering Jakob’s room. “Wait, who’s tear stains are those?” Flora was a tad surprised to find the shoulders and chest of Jakob’s jacket damp. “Oh, never mind,” Flora said softly, realizing the answer to the question.  
“Do you know if Corrin cries often?” Jakob called as Flora went to the closet to get him a new jacket.  
“Not to my knowledge,” Flora had to think about her response for a minute. “Why? Is something the matter?”  
“Well, she found the greenhouse today. One minute we were eating and talking, and then the next she was just sobbing. She seemed happy enough before then, however,” Jakob sighed.  
“Oh, Master Jakob, that’s a *good* thing. It means she liked them,” Flora chuckled, bringing in the new coat for Jakob.  
Jakob closed his eyes, trying to think. She had seemed fairly happy before she had started bawling… could they really have made her happy enough to shed tears?  
“Does she ever talk to you?” Jakob asked suddenly.  
“Of course she talks to me,” Flora glanced at Jakob.  
“That’s not what I meant, Flora,” Jakob breathed in, letting himself feel his own breaths.  
“Then… what did you mean?” Flora raised her question cautiously.   
“Does she ever talk about her family?” Jakob breathed out, listening to his own breath leave his mouth.  
Flora walked over and sat down on Jakob’s bed, her thoughts writing themselves on her forehead as her brow knit together in contemplation. She had once asked Corrin if she had any family, but Corrin had just grown quite sad. If Flora’s memory served correctly, she had whispered something about ‘once upon a time,’ not that Flora ever understood what she had meant. “Not to my knowledge. I think… she’s given up hope of seeing them again,” Flora shook her head. “Why? Has she said something?”  
“No. You are excused,” Jakob’s eyes snapped open.  
Flora got up and went to leave, but she stopped at the door. “That girl has been through so much, Master Jakob. I remember, when we first got here, Felicia and I couldn’t sleep for days, because of her sobbing, sobbing for her mother, and her big brother, and, most of all, her father. She’d cry about how she’d never see her siblings again, and about how scared she was. I don’t know how she came to work here, but do know that we were all taken from our families, taken as prisoners from some war or another. She deserves to be happy, Master Jakob-“  
“I know that, Flora. You really should no better than to preach to the choir,” Jakob snapped.  
“I imagine you do, Master Jakob. Regardless, Corrin does not need more pain in her life, and if you cause her much more… I can’t imagine that I’ll forgive you,” Flora said coldly, her words cutting into Jakob’s heart and mind and setting chills down his back.  
“I don’t have any plans to,” Jakob glared at Flora.  
“That maybe so, but it doesn’t mean you won’t hurt her, or that you haven’t already,” Flora whispered, turning her head back towards Jakob.  
“What is *that* supposed to mean?” Jakob stepped forward and grabbed Flora’s arm.  
Flora shook her head and left Jakob alone to his thoughts and his emotions.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year has gone by, and now Jakob and Corrin spend very much time together. However, Jakob's growing up, and that means he has to start looking for a wife in the Courts of Nohr, the realization of which is accompanied by a sinking feeling in Jakob's stomach, and nervousness for Corrin, both of whom struggle to diagnose the source of these emotions. It takes their new dancing instructor- and odd man named Laslow- to help them understand just what it was that was bothering the two.

*one year later*  
Jakob and Corrin quickly made eating in the greenhouse a regular occurrence, although the crying, and saying very little of why, did not carry over. Although they did talk, a lot, about their days, their plans, how they slept, and what the latest gossip in the laundry room was. Jakob often found himself complaining about his mother or his father, which did bother Corrin some, but she said it was fine, and that if he needed to speak, he should be able to. Her kindness never ceased to astound Jakob, which, he figured, was one of the reasons he could speak to her so openly and easily about his parental struggles.  
It was during one of these lunches that Corrin noticed Jakob was very distracted by something on his mind, making him pretty irritable.  
“What’s wrong?” Corrin asked, grabbing Jakob’s hand.  
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Jakob shook his head.  
“Your face suggests otherwise,” Corrin smiled comfortingly.  
“Well, it’s just that Mother and Father want me to take dancing lessons,” Jakob sighed, finding it hard to stay frustrated at his parents while being confronted by Corrin’s large heart.  
“Oh, is that all? Why is that so problematic?” Corrin tilted her head in confusion.  
“They want me to be able to dance so that I can properly court a Lady, and so that they can marry me off to her,” Jakob grunted.  
“Again, I don’t see how you’d find that a problem. Most people would be ecstatic!” Corrin laughed. Jakob often confused Corrin, but, for some reason, she often found Jakob’s odd behavior entertaining… sweet, even.  
Jakob shook his head, still not completely knowing what problem he took with it himself. All he knew is that when his mother had first said the word “eligibility,” it felt as though a large rock had hit him and was dragging him further down to the bottom of an ocean.  
Corrin gazed at Jakob, looked at him in such confusion and conflict. She didn’t know what was going through his head, but she did know that she may not need to know in order to help him. She just needed to be there. So she grabbed Jakob, and she pulled him close, hugging him.  
“Thank you,” Jakob muttered after a few minutes. Much to his surprise, he now felt more at ease than before.

 

Later, Corrin was in the laundry room, listening curiously to the others as she washed clothes. Word of the dancing lessons had already spread, and everyone was talking about them.  
“It’s such a shame, really,” Felicia sighed as she pulled a shirt out of a soapy bin.  
“What is?” Corrin looked up in surprise.  
“Well, the dancing lessons *are* so that he can check that box on his marriage resume,” Felicia nodded.  
“But, how is that a shame? If anything, it’s a good thing, isn’t it,” Corrin shook her head.  
“No, Corrin, no it’s not! He won’t be happy in that marriage, and you know it,” Felicia grunted.  
Corrin rolled her eyes as the Servants’ Manager walked in to the room, clearing his throat and calling the maids to attention.  
“I’m sure by now you’ve heard that Master Jakob will be taking dancing lessons, in hopes of becoming more appealing to any member of the Court that may someday marry Milord. The teacher is named Laslow, he’s a retainer to Crown Prince Xander, and though he excels at dancing, he cannot emulate the female half of the dance as well as necessary to teach Master Jakob. Therefor, he has asked that some of our maids assist him as dancing partners for himself as he shows Master Jakob the moves, and as dancing partners for Master Jakob to practice with. I have selected several of you to assist, if you hear your name called, you will report to the ballroom tomorrow morning at precisely nine in the morning,” the Servants’ Manager said, and began rattling off names. Felicia’s name was called first, and she blushed, already knowing that this would not end so well. Lilith’s name was also called, and Corrin made a note to inform her.  
But when Corrin’s name was called, the room filled with excited whispering, none of which Corrin heard. Dancing lessons. With Jakob. Why did the thought scare her so?

 

The next morning, Inigo, under his false name Laslow, arrived at the manor at around nine. He was greeted by the Servants’ Manager, and directed towards the ballroom, where he found a group of ten maids waiting, but now young Lord Jakob.  
“And I assume none of you lovely women would know where Lord Jakob is, would you?” Inigo looked around. “I mean, I’m not complaining, I’d be more than happy to dance with any of you, but I was asked away from my duties to teach a young lord how to dance, and I would rather like to get to that, if you don’t mind.”  
“He’s probably still asleep. Dusk Dragon knows he’s impossible to wake up,” one of the maids shook her head.  
“Well, that is, unless your name is Corrin,” another maid giggled, causing the woman next to her to turn bright pink.  
Inigo blinked in surprise. Corrin… the name was familiar, though Inigo couldn’t quite recall why. “This Corrin… she’s a maid who works here?” he asked, trying think.  
“I am she,” a voice spoke up, belonging to a striking woman. Inigo gasped in surprise as that formless feeling of nostalgia washed over him, eating at his brain. Corrin’s long white hair ran down her back, the color reminding him of someone he once knew, although he tried not to admit that to himself. It was most likely a coincidence, after all. But her eyes, they were so honest, almost like Robin’s, and for a minute, he allowed himself to reminisce. Though he knew she wasn’t his friend, he was almost let down when there was no light of familiarity in Corrin’s eyes. But that’s not what he found most remarkable about Corrin. No, his breath was taken when his eyes landed on her ears, which grew longer and pointier than any human’s would have. A manakete. Inigo hadn’t realized that there were any in Nohr. Inigo gasped, realizing why she seemed so familiar.  
“Is something the matter, Laslow?” another voice spoke up, sending chills down Inigo’s spine.  
Inigo turned his head, hoping that what he had heard was a mistake, that that… thing wasn’t present. But alas, that was too much to hope for, and Inigo paled as his eyed reached the girl standing slightly behind Corrin.  
Inigo tried to put on a smile, hoping that Lilith didn’t recognize him, struggling through what it meant that she was here, with Corrin. “I’ll be fine with a cup of tea, if any of you ladies would like to accompany me,” Inigo croaked out, causing a round of giggles.  
“I’m afraid we don’t have time for that. Shall we get on with this?” a voice said from behind Inigo.  
“Ah! Lord Jakob, I see you’ve, er, decided to grace us with, er, your presence,” Inigo blushed as he turned around to find Jakob, who had just entered.  
“Yes, well, shall we get on with this?” Jakob sighed, and Inigo noticed that Jakob did not seem all that happy to be here. Although the way Jakob mood seemed to lighten when he saw Corrin also did not escape Inigo’s eyes.  
“Yes, well, I will need someone to help me show you how move, and to help you learn how to do this dance with a partner. Do we have any volunteers,” Inigo said, turning to the maids.  
Eight hands went up, barring Corrin’s and Lilith’s, although the girl with the pink hair standing next to Corrin grabbed her hand and lifted it up with her own.  
“You, with the ponytail, next to Corrin, and Corrin,” Inigo pointed at the two.

 

Corrin was a little bit stunned when Laslow called her up alongside Felicia. She was more surprised, however, when the odd man had her stand next to Jakob, taking Felicia as his to help him example the moves.  
“That’s not going to go well for him,” Corrin whispered to Jakob, a large smile on her face.  
“All right, now, Lord Jakob, you take your partner, like so,” Laslow stepped up to Felicia, taking her hand and putting his free hand on her waist, “and you take your partner’s hand, like this.”  
“I almost feel bad for the poor fellow. Look at him, he obviously doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Jakob grimaced, nodding towards the uncomfortable blush on Laslow’s face.  
Corrin chuckled softly as Jakob followed Laslow’s instructions. Laslow continued to give more, but Corrin could hardly hear his words. She was a bit to distracted by how close she was to Jakob, and by the whispers and giggles from the other maids. She knew what they all thought, and though she normally ignored it, hearing it here, next to Jakob, made Corrin nervous.  
“What’s wrong, Corrin?” Jakob asked softly, noticing how Corrin shifted uncomfortably.  
“It’s just… *they* like to talk,” Corrin whispered, nodding towards the other maids.  
“I imagine they do,” Jakob looked down at Corrin, still not understanding why she was so bothered.  
“They like to talk, about us, as if… WE are courting, which is ridiculous,” Corrin sighed.  
“Is it, though?” it took Jakob a minute to realize why her words had felt rather similar to the way his mother’s words had felt when she had mentioned marrying him off to someone else.  
“Well, seeing as how we’re not-“ Corrin started, but was cut off by Jakob, who had leaned in and kissed her.  
“But if we were? Then would you let them talk?” Jakob asked as he pulled away.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years later, the two, now 21, begin to contemplate their future, and whether or not they will be able to make one together.

*three years later*  
Three years pass, and the two finally allow themselves to be lovers, much to the joy of the rumor mill among the staff. Jakob did try to renew the two’s plans to run away to Hoshido, despite the fact that he still didn’t quite believe her, but Corrin often tried to get him to stop. In fact, it was usually the only thing they argued about.  
These arguments often began as follows:  
It was getting late, in fact it was time to dress for bed, and Corrin was the only maid helping Jakob with his sleepwear- he said he was old enough that he didn’t need the help, but if it meant more time with Corrin, he would gladly take it. Corrin walked over to the closet to get his night shirt as Jakob undid his hair when his desk caught her eye, the same way it had years ago. Only this time, the drawer was shut, and shut quite tight, and the papers, maps, books, pens, and notes, all about how to get into Hoshido, were scattered on the table, in the open.  
“Jakob…” Corrin sighed, seeing those maps out in the open.  
“Is something the- ah. That again,” Jakob asked, looking up to see Corrin’s hands on her hips in frustration as she glared down at his desk.  
“Didn’t I tell you to stop with this?” Corrin gazed down at the maps, blinking away tears. ‘gods, how *can* this man be so foolish?’  
“Why? Do you not want to return to Hoshido anymore?” Jakob never understood why Corrin had lost interest in sneaking back to Hoshido.  
“It’s not that I don’t, Jakob,” Corrin turned around sharply.  
“Then what is it?” Jakob looked into Corrin’s eyes, struggling to understand the conflict in them.  
Corrin didn’t understand herself, if she was being honest. “Well, what if your parents see?” she went with the first argument that came to mind.  
“And what if they do see? Am I supposed to care?” Jakob shook his head. “You know, it is possible for us to go there, for us to be happy.”  
“What if they don’t recognize me? Jakob, what if they don’t remember me, or take me back?” Corrin cried, shocking Jakob.  
‘well, this is new,’ Jakob thought to himself, sitting back. “If they really are your family, they will recognize you and take you back,” Jakob said, standing up and walking towards Corrin.  
“But how do you know?” Corrin asked, tears creeping into her eyes as Jakob embraced her.  
“Because your kind of hard to forget, and because I would,” Jakob held her tight, letting her cry on him once more.  
Corrin looked at Jakob, knowing without a doubt this was the man she loved, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. And knowing without a doubt that Jakob felt the same way about her, in fact, probably more so, seeing as how he wanted to spend the rest of his life away from his homeland and in her own. Sometimes, it shocked Corrin how much Jakob cared, but not tonight. Tonight, it just brought her joy. Corrin laughed as she stretched her face up to his, kissing him with such a force that he found himself being pushed backwards.  
“Corrin?” Jakob asked, trying to avoid being pushed all the way to the ground.  
“What?” Corrin asked, worrying for a minute she was wrong.  
“If we’re going to do what I think we’re going to do, can we please do it in the bed?” Jakob grimaced.  
Corrin laughed as she jumped up on top of Jakob, removing his coat while he walked back towards the bed. The two fell over, and soon their clothes were on the floor.

 

*the next morning*  
Felicia and Flora were a bit nervous walking down towards Jakob’s room without Corrin. He was always a struggle to get out of bed in the morning, and Corrin always had the best luck with him. But Corrin had not returned last night, and while Felicia had her guesses on what that meant, they were only guesses, and whether she was right or wrong, there could be major consequences.  
The two sisters glanced at eachother nervously as they put their hands on the door nobs.  
“Master Jakob? It’s time to wake up?” Flora called as they opened the door. There was a groan from the pile of comforters that was supposed to serve as a response.  
Felicia sighed and walked up to pull off the blankets. She found a smiling and naked Corrin underneath.  
“Flora, you owe me a gold bar,” Felicia nodded.  
Flora grabbed Felicia and towed her back to the door, where the two stood, allowing Corrin to dress. When she was done, she joined the two, whispering, “sorry!”  
“Don’t apologize, I’m happy for you two,” Felicia giggled as she and her sister turned around and resumed getting clothes ready for Jakob.  
“Oh, and you should know, Master Jakob, that Prince Xander will be visiting in a few weeks,” Flora said as she began to get clothes out of the closet.  
“Oh? And this concerns me because…?” Jakob sighed, eyes closed.  
“Because he’s the Crown Prince? Also, I should warn you, your parents are considering his retainer Peri as someone to marry you off to,” Felicia said, causing Corrin’s heart to sink some. She had known this day would come, but she wasn’t expecting it so soon.  
“What?!” Jakob exclaimed, sitting up.  
“I’m afraid your parents want you to marry an important noblewoman, and it would seem that they’re taking Peri into consideration,” Flora nodded.  
“Have you heard the stories of this Peri?! Why would they ever think that was a good idea?” Jakob asked. “Had they chosen any other woman, it would have just been political. But her? There is no having anything resembling a relationship with her, if you make her the slightest bit upset…” Jakob shivered, “and not mention her reputation for how she treats her servants. You’d all be dead within the week, and that would be before she found out about me and Corrin.”  
“What do you mean?” Corrin asked as Flora brought a shirt and coat out for Jakob.  
“Corrin, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop loving you, regardless of who I end up married to. And even if I were married to someone else, if you had no opposition, we could still be together. She would understand that her marriage was only for show, I imagine. But if Peri finds out that I ever had feelings for you while she’s married to me, she’d kill us both,” Jakob sighed as he pulled on his clothes.  
“Oh, Jakob…” Corrin sighed, looking fondly at her liege.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin comes to a shocking realization as Prince Xander arrives with his retainers. She's very excited to tell Jakob, but she overhears a conversation between him and his mother, and when she doesn't have all the facts, she jumps to conclusions, which lead her to make some very bad decisions.

*several weeks later*  
Corrin woke up early that morning and glanced to the side, seeing Jakob’s sleeping face. She sat up and looked down. ‘still nothing?’ Corrin thought, her eyes troubled. Her period was supposed to start a few days ago, and yet… here she was… having to wonder…  
“Corrin? Is something wrong?” Jakob groaned, blinking groggily.  
“No… I just have to go,” Corrin sighed, trying to hide her concerns.  
“Okay…” Jakob rolled over, trying not think about how early she was leaving, deciding she had a perfectly good reason.  
Corrin quickly got dressed and scrambled down to go to her room she shared with Lilith, who sat up when Corrin came bursting into the room. “Corrin? Is something-“ Lilith started, but was cut off by Corrin puking over the floor.  
“Oh, gods,” Lilith looked at her in surprise. “You’re not… he didn’t… I mean, I knew you guys were sleeping together… but, Corrin…” Lilith said, realizing what was happening.  
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is happening,” Corrin huffed as Lilith rushed over.  
“So? Do you have a plan?” Lilith reached over and grabbed onto Corrin. “Does Jakob know?”  
Corrin just shook her head as she sat down.  
“Are you going to tell him?” Lilith asked.  
“I… don’t know…” Corrin took some time to let what was happening sink in.

 

*A few hours later*  
Corrin hurried to catch up to the group of servants who were going with Jakob’s father to greet Prince Xander and his retainers, Peri and Laslow.  
“Hey, Corrin, I couldn’t help but notice you weren’t there this morning,” Felicia whispered to Corrin, referring to her noticeable absence when Felicia and Flora had gone to wake Jakob up.  
Corrin smiled and shook her head.  
“Is everything okay?” Felicia asked.  
“Why does everyone keep asking that?” Corrin asked, still smiling.  
Felicia frowned, but they had reached the front door, and so they all fell into place waiting for Prince Xander and company, who soon arrived. Jakob’s father greeted Prince Xander, and he guided him to the dining hall, retainers and maids falling in behind the two.  
“Ah, I remember the two of you,” Laslow said cheerily, falling into step next to the two whispering maids.  
“I was hoping you hadn’t,” Felicia grimaced with a blush, looking away and remembering how she had made quite a fool of herself, always tripping or stepping on his foot.  
“Oh, come now, you weren’t so bad, my dear Felicia,” Laslow said smoothly. “But, you, Corrin, you were spectacular. I couldn’t stop talking about you to my friends! But of course, as beautiful as you are, it should be no wonder that you’re such a natural at dance,” Laslow smiled, causing Corrin to blush.  
“Oh, I don’t know,” Corrin smiled. “But, wait, you were talking about me?”  
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s not every day one sees someone as fair as yourself,” Laslow winked.  
“And I suppose I’m the first girl you’ve tried that one on?” Corrin laughed.  
“Well- hold on- okay, well, valid- but it’s different when I say it about you! You, Corrin, are truly something, and I’m speaking honestly when I say it’s been a while since I’ve seen a girl like you,” Laslow blushed.  
“Really?” Corrin knew better than to believe Laslow, but she still found the helpless flirt quite amusing.  
“Really,” Laslow said, gently lifting his hand to brush some hair behind Corrin’s ear.  
“Oh! The ears, that’s what you meant,” Corrin said, realization dawning. “No, I get it, my ears are different and no one else has any like them, so why wouldn’t you share a laugh about them over drinks?”  
“Nah, actually, an old friend of mine had ears just like them. I haven’t seen her in ages, but I was reminiscing with my friends who also knew her about it,” Laslow blushed, then he pulled in next to her and whispered, “You know, we were fairly positive there were no manaketes in these lands, so seeing you was quite a shock.”  
“Manakete? What’s that?” Corrin asked, confused.  
Laslow smiled, and shook his head. “That’ll just be my little secret. Of course, if you wanted to trade secrets, I could think of one to keep for you…” Laslow said suggestively.  
“If you’re trying to offer her sex, don’t bother, she’s already got someone,” Felicia nodded.  
“Aw, that’s too bad. For me, anyway, but whoever it is, they are quite lucky,” Laslow nodded.  
“Laslow, I thought we had this discussion before coming here,” Xander looked back at his retainer.  
“But, siiiirr, if you love someone, you should tell them!” Laslow blushed.  
“So really mean to tell me that you’re in love with every maid back at the castle and in every manor we go to visit? How about every village girl or noblewoman you meet?” Xander scolded Laslow.  
“Okay, okay, fair enough,” Laslow blushed, but his comment earlier about telling the person you love stuck with Corrin. Then and there, she decided that later, when she had the time, she would go tell Jakob she was going to mother his child.

 

*a few hours later*  
She found the time shortly after breakfast, and she rushed down to Jakob’s room to tell him. The door was open, however, and Corrin could hear voices inside.  
“-soon, Jakob,” was that… Jakob’s mother’s voice?  
Corrin stopped in her tracks, and sidled up to the door so she could listen.  
“But why Peri?” Jakob asked from inside.  
“Better her than that maid you’ve been spending so much time with,” Jakob’s mother’s voice snapped.  
“And what makes you think I see a simple maid like her like that?” Jakob said, his words cutting into Corrin’s heart.  
Corrin tried to reassure herself. Jakob couldn’t honestly feel this way, could her?  
“Jakob, my son, I have eyes, and I’ve heard the maids’ whispers. But you can’t have that girl,” Jakob’s mother said soothingly.  
“Well, good, because I don’t want her, but-“ Jakob began, but Corrin didn’t hear the rest of his defense, because she was running off in tears.

 

*meanwhile*  
Jakob’s mother walked into his room. “I can tell you’re not happy with this arrangement, but you will have to marry soon, Jakob,” she stepped over to her son after a few moments of silence spent exchanging glares.  
“But why Peri?” Jakob exclaimed.  
“Better her than that maid you’ve been spending so much time with,” Jakob’s mother snapped, causing Jakob to sit back in stunned silence. How could she have known about Corrin? He had to find some way to protect her, fast.  
“And what makes you think I see a simple maid like her like that?” Jakob growled, struggling to get his own words out of his mouth.  
“Jakob, my son, I have eyes, and I’ve heard the maids’ whispers. But you cannot have that girl,” Jakob’s mother tried to calm her son.  
“Well, good, because I don’t want her, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to choose!” Jakob exclaimed, his own words tearing at his heart.  
“Well, if I could trust you wouldn’t choose that maid,” his mother shook her head, “then maybe I’d allow you to.”  
“ENOUGH ABOUT CORRIN!” Jakob shouted.  
“You claim not to care for her, and yet you know her name,” Jakob’s mother glanced at her son.  
“You don’t think I don’t know me and her can’t be together? Gods, mother! How stupid do you think I am? She and I are both well aware of our station, so why do you think that should matter in a decision like this one?” Jakob gasped.

 

*later on*  
Inigo hummed an old Ylissean song as he walked down the halls of the manor, looking for the kitchen. It was a lullaby his mother had sung to him when he was a child, about how the sun would always rise once more, no matter how long or dark the night became. He played the words in his head often and chuckled to himself over the irony. After all, the sun never rose in Nohr.  
“Here it is,” Inigo said, as he turned a corner and found the kitchen. He walked in, but stopped in his tracks, surprised to hear… muffled sobbing? He took a look a round, and found Corrin, curled into a ball in a corner. “Corrin? Is something wrong?”  
“Could people PLEASE stop asking me that?!” Corrin snapped, surprising Inigo. She had seemed so happy this morning.  
“You want to talk about it?” Inigo asked, sitting down next to Corrin, who just shook her head. “Are you sure? Because I find talking about why you’re upset helps to calm you down, and you have such a beautiful smile,” Inigo looked at Corrin with genuine concern.  
Corrin shook her head with a laugh, then she made her decision. If Jakob didn’t want her, he didn’t need to have her. She knew this decision was a bad one, but hey, if it hurt Jakob the way he hurt her, then who cares? She rolled over onto Laslow and kissed him.  
“I thought you already had someone else?” Inigo pulled back in shock.  
“Turns out he doesn’t actually want me,” Corrin shook her head.  
“Well, poor fool should really get his head on right,” Inigo allowed Corrin to remove his clothes.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin has calmed down by now, and she goes to Jakob, hoping for an explanation, and Jakob swears to her that he didn't mean what he had said to his mother and vows that he does indeed love Corrin.

Corrin sat back in shock, a little surprised at what had just happened. She looked over at Laslow, who was grinning like a madman, and then back at her surroundings. She shook her head, cursing herself for not giving Jakob the benefit of the doubt. She grabbed her clothes and rushed away to the greenhouse, where she found Jakob. ‘well, guess, we’re having this conversation now…’ Corrin thought while she sniffed.  
“Corrin? Is something wrong?” Jakob asked in surprise when he saw the tearstains on Corrin’s clothes. Apart of him knew that something was indeed wrong, and knew exactly what was wrong, but another part hoped desperately and vainly that he was mistaken.  
“I heard what you said earlier, Jakob, to your mother,” Corrin sniffed. “Please, please tell me you didn’t mean it…”  
“Of course I didn’t, Corrin. Gods, I love you so much, but I couldn’t let her know that,” Jakob looked down. “But… why would YOU believe those words?”  
Corrin nodded, realizing that she was being ridiculous. “I don’t know, I guess I was scared…” she closed her eyes.  
“Why? What has you so scared?” Jakob grabbed Corrin’s arm in shock.  
“Jakob… I think I’m pregnant,” Corrin choked out the words.  
Jakob blinked in surprise, then he kissed Corrin.  
“Jakob, I want our child to have a happy life, and I want him or her to have both parents, but that can’t happen if you’re married to someone else-“ Corrin started.  
“Then marry me,” Jakob said suddenly.  
“What? Jakob, you know we can’t-“ Corrin shook her head.  
“It doesn’t have to be anything official, or legal. Just a couple of promises, with someone present to witness, and maybe we can find a priestess or monk or someone to wed us before a dragon,” Jakob said.  
“I’ll go see if I can find someone,” Corrin smiled, then took off to look for Lilith and the twins.  
She found Lilith in the stables, and Lilith looked up in surprise. “So, how’d it go?” She asked.  
“Lilith, I need you to find me a monk or priestess, or whoever performs ceremonies for the Dusk Dragon,” Corrin huffed. “And I’m going to need you to come with me to the greenhouse.”  
“What? Why?” Lilith asked.  
“Because, he asked to marry me- and before you say anything about rank or whatever, we are both well aware that it can’t be legal, and we have no plans on being officially wed, but he would like to do it before a dragon,” Corrin smiled.  
“Corrin! This really makes you happy?” Lilith looked at Corrin.  
“Yes, Lilith, yes it does,” Corrin nodded.  
“Fine. If you wish to have it before a dragon, then I’ll do it,” Lilith sighed.  
“What?” Corrin looked at Lilith.  
“Once upon a time, I was blessed by a dragon named Anankos. His kingdom is now forgotten, and I’m afraid I’ve had to denounce him as King, but I could still marry you before Anankos, and it would be as valid, maybe more, if the two of you had been married by a monk before either the Dawn or Dusk dragons,” Lilith explained softly.  
“Lilith… thank you,” Corrin smiled, noticing how Lilith’s tone had gone down and how her eyes filled with sadness. She realized that there must be something painful behind her words, and that what she was offering must be hard for her, but Corrin also knew that Lilith would not allow her to argue the matter.  
The two rushed to find the twins, and then pulled them along to the greenhouse.  
“Whoa! What’s happening?” Felicia fell flat on her face.  
“Jakob and I are getting married, and the two of you are here as witnesses,” Corrin smiled.  
“What? Really?! But shouldn’t there be a monk or something?” Felicia asked excitedly.  
“Yes, shouldn’t there be a monk or something?” Jakob hissed at Corrin, who had walked over next to him with a large smile on her face.  
“Lilith agreed to do it,” Corrin smiled.  
“Oh? I didn’t realize our Lilith was a member of a divine dragon’s holy order,” Jakob said skeptically.  
“Well, I’m not. Anankos doesn’t technically have a holy order, not anymore. But he has those he has blessed, and once, long ago, he considered me to be among his most blessed. I was the equivalent of a High Priestess,” Lilith closed her eyes. “His blessing still resides within me, and I do have the divine right to marry you two before Anankos. It will be true in the eyes of the Silent Dragon, and recognized by both the Dawn and Dusk Dragons, though most likely begrudgingly.”  
“Anankos? I’ve never heard of him?” Jakob looked at Lilith skeptically.  
“That’s not unusual, most have forgotten him by now. He created his kingdom alongside the Dawn and Dusk Dragons, but now… his kingdom was destroyed, and most have forgotten it, and him along with it. Rest assured, he is real, and this wedding will be valid,” Lilith said.  
“Very well. Then I suppose we have nothing to wait for, Lilith, if you’d kindly do the honors,” Jakob faced Corrin.  
“The two of you have grown so close, and I have watched all these years with such worry. I’m grateful for the two of you, and while many times I was against your love, afraid of it even, I was always grateful, ever since that day the two of you had found me in the garden. If you had told me then that I would one day stand here before you and before Anankos, blessing your union, I would have laughed, most likely. But here, today, I don’t think I’ve ever been more happy,” Lilith said, closing her eyes as a great light shown from her. When it died down, the girl with the long, blue hair was nowhere to be found, but a fishlike dragon floated atop a large orb in her place. “Today, here I stand, once more before Anankos, ready to tell my King and my Father that the two of you have my blessings, and ready to recognize your vows to each other before the Silent Dragon,” the dragon said, using Lilith’s voice, much to the surprise of all present.  
“Corrin, I vow to always be devoted to you, even if, should the time come, that I cannot, that I must legally wed a noblewoman, I will always be devoted to you and to our child. Never shall I forget you, and never shall I forget my love for you,” Jakob looked into Corrin’s eyes.  
“Jakob, I don’t know where we will be, years from now. Maybe we do find ourselves in Hoshido, or maybe we find a way to make this work here, or maybe we find ourselves separated. But whatever happens, wherever I am, my heart will always belong to you,” Corrin smiled.  
“Now, if the two of you do take each other as husband and wife,” Lilith began.  
“I do,” Jakob smiled.  
“I do too,” Corrin nodded.  
“Then, I, Lilith, Daughter to the Silent Dragon, do recognize these vows in Anankos’s eyes. The Silent Dragon now acknowledges the two of you, which I find fitting, seeing as how no one may ever know about the two of you,” Lilith said, “this is the part where you recognize your own vows with a kiss.”  
“Oh!” Corrin exclaimed.  
Jakob leaned in, and the two kissed, moonlight filtering in through the glass windows of the greenhouse.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months have gone by, and Corrin faces the consequences of her love for Jakob.

*Three Months Later*  
The two were happy for a time, and Corrin had completely forgotten about all of her struggles, including the war between Nohr and Hoshido. Indeed, the two remained blissfully unaware as the campaigns began to get serious, and Jakob’s parents began to wonder if they’d have to send their son to join the fighting, which was supposedly reaching into Hoshido already.  
But those weren’t the only problems of Corrin’s she had forgotten. No, there were others that were a bit pressing. Like her pregnancy, and what would happen if Jakob’s parents found out. And indeed they did, as it became impossible to avoid. And when they did, they knew exactly who had gotten her pregnant, and they decided to send her off to the Nohrian Castle, where she wouldn’t be able to take advantage of their son ever again.  
“Mother, please tell me this is some big misunderstanding!” Jakob hurried down the stairs after his mother.  
Corrin stood at the bottom of the stairs, everything she owned packed into a small bag.  
“No misunderstanding, dear,” Jakob’s mother sighed. “Corrin, was it? Come along,” she nodded towards Corrin, who picked up her bags with a hurt expression.  
“You can’t send her away, Mother!” Jakob grabbed his mother’s arm.  
“You can say your goodbyes, but she must leave,” his mother stared coldly at her son, who just stood there, glaring at her.  
“Jakob…” Corrin croaked. Now that Jakob was close enough to her, he could see the tearstains on her cheeks.  
“Corrin, this is not goodbye, you are not going anywhere, do you hear me?” Jakob turned to his wife.  
“Jakob, remember what we promised. That even when you can’t, you will always love me, and that even when we’re separated, I will be yours and yours alone,” Corrin whispered as she grabbed Jakob.  
“Corrin, I-“ Jakob said as he began to sob in her arms.  
“Goodbye, Jakob. I’ll never forget you,” Corrin closed her eyes and smiled sadly as she pulled away from Jakob.

 

*The Next Day*  
“What are you doing here? Are you lost? Oh, you’re the new girl, right?” a woman, and a mercenary by the look of her, with long, red pigtails came down the hall towards Corrin, followed by Laslow and a blonde dark mage.  
“Yeah, I’m-“ Corrin started.  
“Corrin? What are you doing here?” Laslow asked in surprise.  
“You know her?” The woman turned to Laslow.  
“This is Corrin, the one I was telling you about,” Laslow said.  
“This is the manakete? That’s so cool!” the other man said.  
“I still don’t know what that is,” Corrin nodded. “is something wrong?” Corrin asked, noticing the woman giving her a skeptical glance, and whispering to Laslow.  
“Just couldn’t help but notice, you seem to be pregnant. Maybe three months along, unless I’m mistaken. Please tell me the baby isn’t this oaf’s,” She shoved her thumb towards Laslow.  
“You told her about that?!” Corrin looked in shock at Laslow.  
“I tell Selena and Odin everything. If I overstepped, I apologize, but is Selena right?” Laslow asked.  
“No, Laslow, it’s not yours,” Corrin shook her head.  
“Well, good, because that is not a mess I wanted to have clean up for him,” Selena rolled her eyes. “Now, Corrin, you should really come with me, before you’re late,” Selena pulled Corrin along to a room decorated in a variety of purples and blacks and roses. “Lady Camilla? It’s time to wake up!” Selena exclaimed.  
A woman sat up in the bed, her long purple hair covering much of her face. Princess Camilla looked around, and her eyes settled on Corrin. “I don’t recognize you,” Camilla called softly to Corrin.  
“Oh, I’m new,” Corrin said.  
“Lady Camilla, this is one of our new maids, Corrin. I believe I told you that she would be joining us?” Selena said.  
“Oh, that’s right, I remember. But that’s quite unfortunate,” Camilla sighed.  
“What is?” Corrin looked up in surprise.  
“Well, you seem to be pregnant. Now either you being here means you were stripped from the father, whom you must have loved dearly, or you being here means the father was a terrible man and that was not consensual,” Camilla sighed as Corrin went to the closet and pulled out a dress. “Which was it, dear?”  
“The first, I’m afraid,” Corrin walked back to Camilla.  
“Well, that is too bad. Was he the one who had you sent away?” Camilla asked.  
“No, no, the Lady of the Manor, she didn’t think there was any place for a slut like me, I suppose,” Corrin shrugged.  
“That’s awful!” Selena exclaimed.  
“You’ll always have a place here, my darling Corrin,” Camilla smiled. “So tell me, do you have names picked put?”  
“Yes, Milady. I was thinking, if it’s a girl, I’d name her Kana, and if it’s a boy, I’d name him Dwyer,” Corrin nodded.  
“Kana? Isn’t that a Hoshidan name?” Camilla asked.  
“Er… yes, that’s where I’m from,” Corrin said, a little bit worried about how the Princess of Nohr would react.  
“Oh? Then you’re here because you were taken prisoner in the war, and the fact that you were made into a maid and not put on trial and executed means that you weren’t a soldier. My, my, that is just too sad, dear,” Camilla sniffed, pulling Corrin close to her.  
“Oh! Yes, well, it’s fine, I suppose,” Corrin was shocked by Princess Camilla’s burst of affection.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years go by, and Nohr claims victory over Hoshido. they celebrate with a ball, which Corrin ends up having to work at, leading to several surprises for her.

*Three Years Later*  
Corrin did end up having a son, who she named Dwyer, and, as the years past, she became one of Princess Camilla’s favorite maids.  
Three years past, and all that time Corrin knew nothing of what happened outside the castle. She never heard a word of what was happening in Jakob’s manor, or how the war with Hoshido was going.   
But be assured that the war did proceed. The Nohrians carved their way into Hoshido and claimed the throne. Mikoto and Ryoma were both killed, but the remaining royals were brought back to Nohr to be executed publicly.  
The Nohrians threw a ball to celebrate, though Corrin didn’t know what it was for. She did know that she was going to work it, although before going to the ball to serve drinks and the like, she was sent down to the stables to get something Prince Leo had left in his horse’s saddle.  
“Where is it… where is it…” she mumbled to herself as she began pacing down the stables.  
“Where’s what?” a familiar voice called out from one of the stables. “Wait, Corrin?! Is that you?”  
Corrin turned in shock to see Lilith, standing alongside some horses. “Lilith?! What are you doing here?” Corrin rushed over to her old friend and gave Lilith a hug.  
“I’m here to tend to the horses while Jakob’s parents are up at the party,” Lilith smiled.  
“Wait, why are they here?” Corrin didn’t want to let herself hope that Jakob was with them.  
“The- the ball, of course. Everyone’s coming, didn’t you know?” Lilith asked.  
“Oh! That’s right!” Corrin said.  
“So I didn’t get to find out, what’d you have? And what did you name the child?” Lilith asked excitedly.  
“A boy, Dwyer,” Corrin nodded.  
“You’ll have to make time to introduce him to his Aunt Lilith tonight, okay?” Lilith smiled.  
“I will, don’t worry Lilith,” Corrin nodded. “It was great seeing you again, but I’m afraid I have to go,” Corrin hurried and found the thing Prince Leo needed and rushed back up to the ball.

*a few hours later*  
Jakob was not enjoying himself like he’d promised Felicia. He did not enjoy making small talk, especially not with people like Niles. And it didn’t help that he knew Corrin was somewhere in the very same castle, but that he probably wouldn’t get to see her. Jakob waved absentmindedly for a nearby maid to come bring him another drink.  
“Here you go, Milord,” the maid’s voice caused Jakob to skip a beat.  
“Corrin?” Jakob turned in shock, but smiled when he saw the beaming face of the woman he once loved, the woman he still loved.  
“Should I leave the two of you alone?” Niles asked.  
“Please,” Jakob growled as Niles stalked off.  
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Milord,” Corrin shook her head.  
“Yes, I suppose it has. I have missed you, so, so much,” Jakob shook his head in disbelief.  
“You know, Dwyer asks about you a lot,” Corrin smiled.  
“Dwyer… so it was a boy, then?” Jakob asked. “Tell me about him?”  
“He’s… well, he’s something. He’s impossible to wake up in the mornings, just like his father. And he has a big heart-“ Corrin started.  
“Just like his mother,” Jakob nodded. “But, you seem awfully happy? Are you okay?” Jakob asked, suddenly remembering why everyone was here.  
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Corrin asked.  
Before Jakob could answer, King Garon called for everyone’s attention. “Tonight, we celebrate Hoshido’s fall, and the deaths of their beloved Queen Mikoto and High Prince Ryoma. At the end of the night, we shall celebrate with the executions of the rest of the Hoshidan royal family,” Garon shouted, much to Corrin’s horror, though he gained a round of applause.  
Corrin took a step back in fear and shock. “no… no… NO!” She whispered as fear took over her. She could barely hear Jakob calling her name as her pain and her grief physically transformed her into something else entirely. Every negative emotion she had felt since that day when her father had died welled up, and she wasn’t even aware when she began to rampage.  
People scattered and cried out in fear. There was cursing when people began to realize that none of the royals had their weapons on them.  
Jakob looked up at Corrin in surprise. He had never known about this, but he assumed she didn’t either. He realized how scared and hurt she must be, and he stepped towards her, hand outstretched. “Corrin,” he said softly, in hopes of calming her down.  
Corrin heard Jakob, she saw Jakob. He was all she saw, in fact. But she knew he was there, and if he was, then everything would be okay. And as she calmed down, she turned back into a human, and collapsed into Jakob’s arms.  
Then, guards came and ripped her away from Jakob, taking her all the way down to the dungeons, leaving Jakob, in tears, screaming after her.  
A hand fell on his shoulder. “Thank you for what you did here,” Prince Xander said.  
“What are you going to do with her,” Jakob croaked.  
“I’m afraid I don’t know,” Prince Xander said.  
Jakob ran off to find Flora and Felicia. “I need your help,” he gasped when he found them in the stables with Lilith.  
“Master Jakob? What’s wrong? What happened?” Felicia asked standing up.  
“Corrin, is she okay?” Lilith asked, realizing what must have happened.  
“No, she’s not. She turned into a dragon, and now… now she’s a human again, but they have her locked up. I need your help getting her out and to the Ice Tribe,” Jakob looked at Flora and Felicia.  
The twins nodded, found a piece of paper and scribbled something down on it, then handed it to Jakob. “Here, this is a letter of introduction, asking Chief Kilma for help, and saying you’re friends with his daughters,” Flora explained as she thrust the note into Jakob’s hand. Then the three ran off to find the dungeons.  
When they arrived, they found Corrin sobbing in a cell. Flora and Felicia quickly iced over all the guards as Jakob rushed to Corrin.  
“Corrin! Thank the gods you’re all right,” Jakob exclaimed as he reached the cell.  
“Wait? Corrin?!” a female voice said from another cell.  
Corrin looked up in surprise. Jakob shouldn’t be here, but that was expected. That voice however…  
“Don’t be ridiculous, Hinoka,” a male voice grunted. “You know damn well that Corrin is as dead as Father and Mother and Ryoma.”  
“Is that really you, Hinoka?” Corrin called out as Flora came up and froze the lock off of Corrin’s cell. She rushed out, hugged Jakob, and then rushed to the other cell. “Gods, I never thought I’d see you again, big sister!” Corrin cried she reached her siblings.  
“Hinoka? Is… is this really her?” the girl next to Hinoka whimpered.  
“Yup!” Hinoka smiled.  
“Sakura? Is that you! Gods, the last time I saw you, you were as old as my son is now,” Corrin laughed.  
“Wait, I’m an aunt?! Oh, Corrin! Wait, his father is one of the Nohrians, isn’t he? I’ll gut whoever it was!” Hinoka laughed.  
“Please, don’t,” Jakob said, walking up to Corrin.  
“Yeah, um, Hinoka, this is Jakob. My husband,” Corrin smiled.  
“Do you love him?” Hinoka asked.  
“Yes, I do,” Corrin replied.  
“And you! Do you love my precious little sister with everything you have?” Hinoka glared at Jakob.  
“Yes, ma’am,” Jakob said.  
“Then I don’t see much of a problem,” Hinoka shook her head.  
“I do. He’s a Nohrian,” Takumi grunted.  
“Alright, now that you’ve gotten your tearful reunion, we must be on our way,” Jakob grunted.  
“What are you talking about?” Corrin looked at Jakob, tears still in her eyes.  
“You two of you are going to the Ice Tribe,” Flora explained.  
“With my siblings, right,” Corrin said hopefully.  
“I’m afraid we won’t be able to get them there as well,” Flora shook her head, honest regret seeping into her voice.  
“Hey, it’s okay! Now that I know that you’ve been fine all these years, and that you’ll continue to be fine, I can die in peace,” Hinoka smiled at her little sister.  
“And I suppose I can go to my own grave with a smile knowing that Nohrians did not completely manage to wipe out the Hoshidan royal family,” Takumi nodded.  
“Okay… Flora, Felicia, I have to ask something of you,” Corrin looked from her sibling to her friends.  
“Anything!” Felicia said.  
“I need you to bring my son, Dwyer, to the Ice Tribe, and soon. And, if anything happens to me and Jakob, I need the two of you and Lilith to raise him for me,” Corrin nodded.  
“Okay, but nothing’s going to happen to you,” Flora looked at Corrin.  
“Just promise me,” Corrin looked at her friends.  
“I… promise,” Flora nodded.  
“Me too, I promise,” Felicia smiled with concern.


	18. Chapter 18

“It would seem the man who calmed her down helped the dragon escape, Father,” Leo said.  
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go after them, kill the man, and bring the girl back alive,” Garon glanced down at his son.  
“Yes, Father,” Leo nodded.  
“You lot are dismissed,” Garon wave his children away.  
“Leo, may I speak with you a minute,” Camilla said as she and her bother were leaving the throne room.  
“What is it?” Leo looked at his sister when they were out in the hallway.  
“I want you to kill them both,” Camilla said softly.  
“But Father said-“ Leo exclaimed.  
“Even Father cannot account for accidents,” Camilla looked at her brother.  
“Why should I?” Leo asked.  
“As a mercy, dear. I know how much that girl loves that man, and I shudder at the thought of her going through the rest of her life without him,” Camilla put a hand on Leo’s shoulder.  
“…Very well,” Leo nodded.

 

Jakob looked back over his shoulder, so he almost didn’t notice the root he was about to trip on. Luckily for him, Corrin warned him in time.  
“It’s not too much farther now,” Jakob huffed, coming to a stop next to Corrin.  
“Such a shame you’ll be too dead at my fell sw- nope, not that one… umm hold on, give me a minute,” a voice cut through the darkness.  
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Jakob called out into the woods.  
“’Tis I, Odin Dark, bringer of Death, come to aid my liege the Dark Prince Leo in putting an end to you!” the voice laughed.  
“Cut it out, Odin, this is serious!” another voice chimed in, chastising Odin.  
“But I am being serious?!” Odin’s voice complained.  
“Show yourself,” Corrin growled.  
“Very well,” a dark purple glow revealed a man atop a horse stepping towards them, a dark mage dressed in yellow walking alongside him with his hand stretched out. A swift motion of his hand, and a tree spurted up underneath Jakob, impaling him on its limbs.  
“JAKOB! HOW DARE YOU!” Corrin cried, looking at Jakob’s body, already starting to go limp. Corrin gasped as a tree sprouted underneath her, its limbs protruding through various parts of her own body.  
Leo made a quick gesture, and the two trees fell away, leaving his two victims to fall to the ground and bleed out in each other’s arms.  
“But, Milord, our orders were to-“ Odin stared in shock at the two bodies, that of the woman lying lifeless atop that of the man.  
“Accidents happen, Odin,” Leo said coldly. “We will tell King Garon that she jumped in front of him when I went to kill him, understood?”  
Odin nodded, still looking in shock at the corpses of the lovers.


End file.
